Till the Pain is so big you feel nothing at all.

The Workingman's Stage Race Time Trial race report.

7th place. The three guys who beat me last year all did it again, as did my teammate, race winner Wayne Santos. John Meerse (Fastsplits) and Ron Bourgoin (Arc-en-Ciel) also bettered my time of 14:07:66. The course was indeed shortened. I had cadence, altitude, and HR data, but did not have speed or distance because I did not have time to rig up a sensor on the trispoke. Reportedly, the new course layout measured 10.025 k in length, which if true means my average speed was slightly better than last years.

11.826 m/s, 42.58 kph, 26.4 mph

I know my average cadence was 93, and my average HR 167. I may have started too fast, as after the first four minutes on the fast opening stretch, I was bearing down on my 30 second man, Troy Federson (Boston Scientific). I had to pass a car that had stopped in the road, but that did not cost me too much, just a second or two off the aerobars. Going into the tight "Belgian" section of the course, I ceased to gain ground on Troy, and I bogged down in a few spots. I just didn't feel speedy. Entering the big hill, it was apparent he was pulling back away. I passed my minute man on the steep part, standing in a 53x19 at 60 rpm. This pushed my HR right up to 173, very near the max. But the end was near too. I stayed in this gear on the long false flat and got it up to 100 rpm (35 kph) before going up through the gears when the road tilted downward. Along the downhill and the long fast flat afterwards, my aerobars slipped down on a big bump, a bit disconcerting at 65 kph, but it didn't make too much difference. My concentration wained a bit as my HR fell all the way to the turn, which I forgot to downshift for. I lugged the 53x12 out of the 90 degree corner and into the final half kilometer, just getting it up to 90 rpm by the finish line. A decent overall effort, but not what I'd hoped for. The first three guys beat me by 22, 19, and 17 seconds respectively, but the next three were 9 seconds or less ahead. Troy ended up 8th, just 9 seconds behind me, so surely he pulled back time with a strong finish while I faded.

Got to hang out with Gewilli, sporting a nice new haircut I might add, before the start. Lots of fun with the team. Santos came up huge with the stage win. He's not too fond of the points race on the track Thursday, so we'll have to rally around him. Ruane was second and he will be super tough to beat, especially with his strong Sunapee team behind him. Mills of course is practically still a pro, and Tyler Monroe has won this race several times and knows just what to do. The other guys don't have teams with them, so I don't know what to expect. It's pretty wide open, but Ruane is still the guy to beat. We'll see. Thanks for reading, sorry for the dry post, but you know, just the facts. It's the WMSR, and I have to work...