I raced my first time trial (TT) this morning out west of Buckeye, AZ (yes, the Wild Wild West complete with cow poop smell in the air), and not only was it my first ever actual race on a bike only that wasn't a tour event but it was also my first ever race as part of the Tribe Women's team. Whoot! I picked up my kit, pink plaid jersey and shorts + arm and knee warmers, this morning and was colorful to say the least. It was great!
14.2 miles was the actual race distance, and while that isn't very far, it hurt. As I understand it the goal is to cover that distance in the shortest amount of time possible while not blowing yourself up. Yes, that's the goal in every race, like a 5k run, but as compared to a criterium bike race: in a crit, you race the clock -- how many laps on this 1 mile course can I make in X amt. of time while in a pack of other cyclists around corners? In a TT: how fast can I cover 20k out here by myself without being in a pack of other cyclists?
It was really cool to do, and they even had us start at the top of a ramp and shoot down onto the out-and-back course up Sun Valley Pkwy. Totally felt like a champ before I even went anywhere. It was a little less flat than we thought, and a little less downhill on the way back than I'd been told, but that's alright. I know I can go faster next time for sure because now I have a little better idea of how quickly to start (not very) and when to really start picking up the pace (maybe a smidge sooner than I did).
Tomorrow am is the 41.5 mile road race which I will do with the rest of my team and I have 2 goals: (1) stay with the pack, and (2) finish. The rest of my team is a bit faster than I am so goal 1 will be a challenge. Then in the afternoon I'm running the Skirtchaser 5k. Way fun! Hopefully I can make it to the Sunday am 60 mile group ride. But for now, it's off to the pool.
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