Duck Lake Time Trial-My first pure TT race

     Today I competed in the Duck Lake TT (link here), which served as the Michigan Time Trial Championship. Having competed numerous 40K (24.8 Miles for us silly Americans) efforts in triathlons, putting in an all out, balls to the walls effort is slightly different. I was excited to see what kind of time I could put down, considering I've been focusing on my bike training since my injury this winter.
    I have an 11.8 mile rolling hill loop by my house that I've been training on. This year I've been doing the loop consistently under 30:00. Last year my Olympic Distance Tri I've had splits of 62 and 64 and taking those things into account  I set a  goal for the TT to be at 58:00.
    I drove down the night before and stayed with my Grandma in Big Rapids, before driving to the race, near Whitehall.  I felt a little rushed as I got my equipment set up, warmed up, etc. I'd rather be rushed than have to sit around and wait--less time to think about it.
   I was a little jittery from excitement and some caffeine as I rolled out at 9:07. I focused on keeping a steady and controlled pace for the first lap, passing several riders and splitting somewhere around 29:30 I believe. The roads were in decent shape for what I'm used to-chip sealed last summer or so.  There was a steady wind, leaving the long side of the rectangular course into the wind. I just tried to keep my head down, stay aero and slowly build up the effort. With about 10K to go I knew I needed to force myself to push the pace and I responded well. I rounded the finishing corner and sprinted to the line. Glancing at my watch I knew I was right close to 58 flat.
   After a cool down I was able to track down my official results-58:02 and another Cat 5 'W'. Reflecting on my race I am happy, but I do feel like I could have left a little bit more out on the course. It was a new experience and I'll have to learn the pacing required for optimal results. I also need to get more confidence and risk more on the corners. It was a great experience and I plan on doing some more in the future.

Cat 5 40K TT- 58:02

  I have to give a shout out to Lon Epstein, who was a roommate while I was in Colorado my first year. He had an internship at Cannondale and got Chrissie Wellington to sign a picture for me. It arrived by FedEx the day before the race. Thanks Lon!