Sunday, November 5, 2017

Borrego Springs World Time Trial Championship - 2017

Quick update on the Borrego Springs World Time Trial Championship.
 
Signed up for and did the 24 hour event. Covered 252 miles (23:37). Off the bike to take rests 1:50 minutes. Every two or three laps (18 miles) stopped to change drink bottles, eat, do some minor mechanical and change clothes. Probably a total of another hour. NO FLAT TIRES!! Providential.
 
I rode the Bacchetta CA2 with the shorter, medium frame. Zipp wheel up front and a Flo full disk wheel in back. 58/42 upfront with 11/36 in back. I pulled a tendon behind my right knee that restricts my ability to fully extend my leg. The CA3 (longer, large frame) irritates that tendon ...so I rode the shorter bike. No problem.
 



I feared that on the first night we'd have a fierce west wind but that didn't happen. In the late afternoon (hours 20-24) the wind did pick up, gusting to around 25-30 mph.
 
Temp at night got down to the upper 40F's at night. It felt a LOT colder. But that is pretty typical on the bike. Pushing into the night, often into a slight wind, wet from sweat ... the windchill goes to the bone.
 
Around 12:30pm (hour 19:30) I got pretty foggy. Sleep dep. Mayby the warm temps. Unsafe to ride so I stopped and lay down (slept) in the van for an hour and twenty minutes.
 
As usual the staff and officials were outstanding. Great race direction.
 
I need to get the cold temp clothing issue straightened out. I should have brought more of my cold weather clothing.
 
Though the WTTC is billed as a `time trial' (ride as fast as you can in the allotted time) that wasn't important to me.


My only goal was to finish. It's been an `off' cycling year for me and I wanted to `redeem' myself.
 
Good baseline for the year ahead.