Yesterday everyone assured me that I would get a ride in this timetrial - no problem they all said. This was going through my mind as I waited and waited. You see this being America you can only have 120 cyclists doing a TT, anymore and the cops are sure that that will constitute a serious road hazard on this deserted back road. So here I wait for people not to turn up so that I can get their slot. I do get a slot but have to do the 2-up TT with another guy who assures me he is a category 2, that usually means he will be pretty good.
We start and I immediately drop him. Slow down and let him get back on only for him to go backwards on the next rise. I get sick of this after 5km and just get on with it. The course is definitely 'sporting'.
While I was warming up I lost count of the Litespeed blades - the very same as a certain L. Armstrong uses. No one could accuse the yanks from scrimping on their TT bikes. My spinaci bars seemed so low tech, as it turns out they are perfect. The course is like riding up the Makara Valley towards J-ville with a real 39-19 climb in the middle.
I pass a couple of guys in full timetrial techno geek mode, carbon overshoes, rear vision mirrors hanging off helmets etc. As I pass I'm treated to a chorus of "way to go, awesome dude - you're so inspirational". You get used to it, but initially my first reaction to hearing this type of stuff out training or in races was to want to do a u-turn and hit them on the helmet and then tell them to stop talking crap.
As for the race I have no idea what time I did or the result. Americans do have a habit of geeking out anything that they do, so just seeing a bunch of well heeled Americans indulging in timetrial techno mode was a real eye opener.
As I rolled back to the car from the finish line I guy asked me how I did and what timetrial bike did I have and did I think warming down on a roadbike with spinaci bars was a good idea, sure was an interesting day...
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