Australian National Masters Road Time Trial Championships 2014 (MMAS2)

First up - What a day! Another Masters Nationals TT done and dusted for the year. The one TT that is always in our thoughts as our 'target event of the year' comes around so fast. I mentioned to Von on the start line that it was hard to believe we were standing there today. The 'nationals' TT is always weeks or months away. Always plenty of time to train harder for it, right?

We were lucky to have the TT championships return to Ballarat after two years on the windswept course near Goulburn in NSW. In that time they had changed the course from the Avenue of Honour to.... you'd never guess... a windswept course out in Burrumbeet. And just like Goulburn, it has a wind farm nearby to remind you it'll be a bloody tough day on the bike.

And bloody tough it was. The 24km/h south west wind hung around all day and everyone rolling in had war stories to tell about their ride. With a late start time I was able to be Von's soigneur/mechanic/manager getting everything sorted for her ride. Always a stressful task as I built her bike, worked on her position, picked out the right wheel combo for the course, and talked her though the pacing strategy for the course about 50 times. (side note: While I 'say' I'm helping her, it is really the way I use to remind myself how to ride the course, shhhh).

When she rolled over the line in 1st place, taking the WMAS1 National TT title I was a little emotional. I was so proud of her. I can honestly say she works harder than I do when it comes to getting up early and getting in the kms. There will be more work for her in the step up to WMAS2 next year, which I'm sure she'll take on at full speed.

Back to the MMAS categories, man mountain and speedy unit John Cain (Giant Celtic) set the course alight with a 24:28 to win MMAS5. Flying! That was the last benchmark I saw before getting out on the course myself.

The iconic Mr Pink was a familiar face as the start line holder. To the amusement of those standing around, I had to tell him to "take me from behind" after he went to hold me from the side.... What I meant was to "hold me from behind", but he knew what I meant.

Thanks Mr Pink!

Nothing much to write up about a flat-out time trial other than it went to plan. The pacing strategy, the numbers, and the speed. All spot on. If Anthony Tan thinks the Women's World Championship Road Race was lacking entertainment, I won't dare give the world a run-down on how a TT plays out.

I rolled over the line in 23:45. 1st place MMAS2 and fastest on the day. The course was a little shorter than the 20km they calculated everyone's official speeds on. I held 47.4km/h. I haven't looked further into the data. That can wait.

MMAS2 Results:
1.     102     Shane MILLER (VIC)       23:45.25        
2.     107     Tom LEAPER (VIC)         24:28.89     +43.6    
3.     105     Jon HOUSTON (SA)         25:11.98     +1:26.7    
4.     112     Jesse GRAHAM (ACT)       26:09.80     +2:24.5    
5.     114     Joshua GOODALL (VIC)     27:10.47     +3:25.2    
6.     109     Lee LINDSAY (VIC)        27:14.97     +3:29.7    
7.     108     Peter VARRICCHIO (SA)    27:28.78     +3:43.5    
8.     103     Clinton BAIN (QLD)       27:51.88     +4:06.6    
9.     104     Simon BERRY (NSW)        28:13.11     +4:27.8    
10.    106     Rodney UPTON (VIC)       28:30.47     +4:45.2

There are a swag of people and companies I need to thank behind the scenes, I'll do that in person over the next few days. For now, thanks for reading. Time to roll around in the crit and road race here in Ballarat, then we're off to race the Tour of Fiji next week!

Links:
Official Results (Metarace)
Jo Upton Photos The Courier - Shane Miller aims for sixth national time trial title in a row in first day’s racing.
WinTV News - Sports Report Oct 1st 2014: