2007 Tundra Time Trial

Today was my 4th attempt at the Tundra Time Trial held on the Silver Comet Rail Trail in Hiram, GA. It was 25 degrees when I got there and about 28 at my start. The course was an out and back of 9.5 miles total. Although it is a rail trail, it is not flat and going out it is initially down hill (slightly) and on the way back uphill (slightly). My main goal was to try and tie or break my time of last year (when I used aerobars) on a regular bike this year. Last year's time was 24.48.

My warm up was good and at the start the wind had begun to kick up a little. Off the ramp I did a half sprint up to speed and then quickly settled in to a groove. My 1 minute power was 487watts and that is a little too hot at the beginning. For the ride I was able to average 308watts which was more than I expected. However, my time at the finish was 25.53, 65 seconds slower than last year. This translated to about a 1mph difference in speed. So, I did not come close to breaking my time but I did gain some valuable information about my fitness right now and that is that since January 3 I have elevated my FTP (CP60) from 290W to 297W, approaching the 300W mark where I want to be. Of course right now any power over 25.53 is an estimation since I have not done a 60 minute TT. For comparison, my FTP in the fall at my peak was 300W and that was enough to win some races.

I was really impressed by all of the time trial machinery. Even with the UCI regualtions as they are, the bike companies are being very innovative. The riders continue to be very fit in February and some of the top times were under 23 minutes. In some respects it would be nice to have a tricked out TT bike and see what I could do on it, but I also think it is pretty cool to strip away as many aero advantages and see where you stack up.

Anyway, I don't know the results yet but I am sure I did not podium or have a top time, which was not my goal. It was also my first race in which I was able to wear the HUP United colors and represent the team in the southeast. That was fun too and many folks did not recognize me in the skinsuit.

The Tundra Time Trial is a fun event and you can really take it as seriously as you want. The top guys are all looking at each other trying to figure out if they are ahead or far behind in February. It is also nice since much of the US is either freezing or knee deep in snow. We are pretty lucky down here.

<> I managed 10th in the TT, 3 minutes behind the winner. Even with bars I probably would have only managed 8th. Not bad though.

Here is a graph of my power for the ride:

Here are my stats:
Time: 25.53
Average Power: 308.2W
Outbound Split: 13.20 and 309W
Inbound Split: 12.32 and 307W
Average HR: 167bpm
Average Cadence: 88rpm
Weight: 79.5 kilos
Watts/KG for the effort: 3.87 (yikes!)