CSV Victorian Open TT Championships. August 13th 2010.
A relatively short course for a state TT championship, 20kms. Nice open roads and almost flat with the exception of a few bumps in the middle and at the start/finish. The non-tour riders were sent off about 90 minutes before the GC riders started ripping into our times. I was in a Footscray CC sandwich between Mark Hewat and Dominik Dudkiewicz. I cranked out a 49.2km/h average to the turn-around, the course was fast! We hit the breeze coming home which made the final 5kms a bit of a drag. I'd caught and passed Hewat at around 4km to go and suffered through a few rolling bumps to the line for 26:25. 44.6km/h average and I held top spot until Milostic came through with a 26:11 a few minutes later. As the day progressed the wind came to a stand-still. The GC guys had perfect conditions, no head wind to the line. I was slowly knocked out of the top 10, then top 15, then just nudged out of the top 20. 21st from 101 riders. Only a few seconds off making the top 20. It'd be good to know where I ended up in the mix of just Victorian riders... another cycling tradition I don't understand, allowing "state" medals to go to interstate/international riders... I guess that is the way its always been, so will always be?.....
Full results at CyclingNews
Geelong CC Paraparap TT. August 14th 2010.
We stayed at the Sands in Torquay after the state TT champs. Simonds Homes were having a conference there... and they put on a good show of neanderthalistic behavior with their beer cans in the carpark and stories of their $500/hr stripper they could "do anything with but just not touch", that were boasted about within earshot of a female guest (Von). F*#ing pigs, what a disgrace to their company.
Anyhow - No time to use our late check-out, we were up early to Paraparap for stage 2 of my Tour de Time Trial. 28kms (or there about, depending where the corner marshal was posted), and one hell of a north wind! I nailed the warm up, by not having much of one, then using the first 10 minutes of the TT to get into swing of things. That pacing plan works well with a massive tail wind for 16kms. That was the easy part done, the return leg was much like the wind tunnel I was in a few weeks ago. There are a few rolling hills before the finish line is in sight, they hurt but you know the finish line isn't far away once you're over them. 40:42, 1st place, and some nice glassware as a trophy! Geelong CC even put on a sausage sizzle after the race, awesome!
Result Rider Time Avg Speed
1 Shane Miller 40.42 43.48 km/h
2 Steve Young 43.37 40.58 km/h
3 Tim Meadan 45.29 38.91 km/h
4 Rudy Schmidt 45.32 38.87 km/h
Full results, photos, and a neat write up over at Geelong CC Website.
Blackburn CC/Bikes DeVer Kew TT. August 15th 2010.
Stage 3 of my Tour de Time Trial, and the hardest! On this course you're either over threshold or under it trying to recover, worlds away from the last two days of almost-flat TTing. Initially the roads were dry, until I mentioned that to Tom Leaper as we were warming up, then the rain started.... I shouldn't have mentioned it... Identical conditions as two weeks ago. Windy, cold, and soaking wet roads. After my win last time I'd been awarded saddle cloth #1, and I was chasing a Lama, Martin Lama, who was off 30 seconds ahead of me. My legs were feeling good as we lined up, that lasted until the top of the fist hill about 2kms in, then it was back to suffering and trying to pick the fastest line and not end up on my arse on any of the quick sweeping corners. Alex Morgan (BBN/VIS) was my minute man for the day. I'd taken note where I'd passed him on lap 1 and by lap 2 I'd pulled him back a little more. Kew would be a perfect course for electronic shifting on a TT bike, with gear buttons on the TT extensions and the base-bar... maybe one day... Into the final corner I could see Alex not too far ahead, so I was on an ok time. 30:55, knocked off a few seconds from last time with the same conditions. The power meter had the answers, more power this time. $35 for the win this week, a pay rise! :) Tom Leaper had a bad run with an early puncture, a restart, and another puncture. Martin Lama also lost a few seconds to a mechanical.
A Grade
1 1 MILLER, Shane 30:55.15 Hawthorn Citizens Youth Club
2 3 MORGAN, Alex 31:41.02 Blackburn Cycling Club Inc
3 5 DOVE, Liam 32:25.68 Blackburn Cycling Club Inc
4 11 WHITE, Tim 32:38.37 Hawthorn Citizens Youth Club
5 2 LAMA, Martin 33:45.08 Blackburn Cycling Club Inc
6 4 PARLEVLIET, Cameron 33:50.24 Blackburn Cycling Club Inc
7 10 LONGMIRE, Ritchard 35:51.43 St Kilda Cycling Club Inc
8 9 EMERSON VAN BEEK, Ree 36:07.15 Northcote Cycling Club Inc
9 6 MURTAGH, Connor 36:40.62 Brunswick Cycling Club IncFull ResultsLeanne Cole photos of the event
All up it was a good few days chasing time trials. The club level TT scene is growing, lots of numbers in juniors and lower grades at both Blackburn and Geelong CC events, even in the middle of winter. The three hard days in a row didn't knock my power down, so that was a good indicator of where I'm at leading up to the Northern Combine TT champs, State Masters TT champs, and the Australian Masters Champs in Ballarat. The position adjustments on the TT bike made in the wind tunnel are working well, I can't see a thing up the road, but Raoul was right, position, position, position, and the view is better from the podium... even if that is just grass and mud we're standing on at Kew to accept our envelope of cash, or a carpeted shed in Paraparap.
1 comment:
WE LOVE THE LAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!one!!!!!!
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