2 Person 40K TT Double - Enormous Fun

Happy Mother's Day, Mom

Signing up for two 2-person 40K time trials (the TTTT) is something I might not do again for a while - probably until I forget how it all felt. We drove through rain all the way to Garden Prairie but were pleasantly surprised by dry conditions at race time, though there was a huge dose of nasty wind to contend with. My first TT was with National TT Champ Leigh Thompson - I was looking forward to doing the ride with her, she's super strong and tall which translates to a nice draft to recover in between pulls.

Photo: ABD

As far as 40K TT courses go, the Garden Prairie one is fun - some turns, interstate overpasses, smooth pavement - not boring. There was a killer tailwind on the way out and we held +30mph for a long time before having to grind into the cross/headwind on the way back. It was really tough and we both fought to keep our bikes moving straight much of the way back but we managed the best women's time on the day at 58:13. We worked together seamlessly and exchanges became intuitive very early on - Leigh is a great partner and I'll happily do another team TT with her again any time.

After that fine experience I rolled back to the car, basically fell off my bike, wiped the snot and drool off my face, and sat there a few minutes while Leigh pinned on another number and I whined about doing another 40K. I didn't want to disappoint my partner, Brian Akers, so we rolled back over to the start line (shivering) and did it again. He'd already done one TT (and won the cat 3 men's race - rock star!) and was content to let me essentially suck his wheel the entire distance. I felt really bad for having done that but I was just cooked from the first ride - and we still managed to finish respectably. Thank you Brian - you are also a fantastic TT partner who I will happily ride with again any time (maybe for the first/only ride...). I was trashed after that - everything hurt and I felt completely empty. It was very nice to be finished.

My teammates Mike and Jim also did the double - winning the 50+ and taking 2nd in the P1/2 even with a minor mechanical, very tired legs and smokin' fast times. Those guys are strong! I believe there was another PACT/Dish Network team that took 2nd in the 55+ category - well done, gentlemen - another good team weekend.

Up next, track starts this week, maybe a criterium on Saturday and 2 20K TT's on Sunday - I'm looking forward to it! I'm still reading 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' but am almost finished. Not sure what's up next - I have a few things in the queue but haven't decided yet.

Thanks for reading...