Race Report: 2016 That Dam (Prettyboy Reservoir) Time Trial
Race: 2016 That Dam (Prettyboy Reservoir) Time Trial
Category: Men's Senior Category 4
Date: July 24th, 2016
Race Start: 10:08:00 AM
Distance/Time: 30km
Weather: Sunny, low 90s
Location: Prettyboy Reservoir, MD
Bike: 2015 Scott Addict Team Issue
Wheels: Zipp 900 Disc Rear, Zipp 808 Firecrest Front
Tires: Rear - Veloflex 700x22 Front - Schwalbe Ultremo HT 700x22
Gearing: 36/52 x 11-28
Finish: 3/15 (52:26.1)
Narrative:
My coach, Chuck Kyle, did quite a bit of analysis helping me prepare for this race, as it is definitely not the average flat TT course. This course is hilly, with steep climbs and descents, and the road is rough, really rough. His analysis of the original course (50km) showed a 10 watt difference for a 1:24 finish (winning time from last year in my category) between riding my time trial bike and riding my road bike. Since I am much more comfortable descending on my road bike, and it has easier gearing, I decided to set it up with my TT wheelset and go for broke.
Two days before the race, the organizer announced a change to the course due to emergency roadwork on a chunk of the race course, which reduced the length of the race to 30km. I had no issue with that, since riding for an hour and a half on a hilly course in July wasn't too appealing to begin with, and the longer course, given the elevation gains, would give Kevin Toups an advantage. On the shorter course, I can push harder, hopefully using my greater power to advantage.
Despite my plans, I did not manage to put out the level of power I expected, averaging less than 300W (NP 296) which I suspect had much to do with my cadence on the climbs (average cadence 86 RPM) Normalized power was 34W over my average, so I did take some advantage of the descents.
All in all, I had a good race, finishing 3rd in my category, and beating Kevin by two places, bringing me to one point below him in the series. As I suspected, the series all comes down to River Towns in October. Since I have beaten him every time I have raced, I fully expect to win the series.
Category: Men's Senior Category 4
Date: July 24th, 2016
Race Start: 10:08:00 AM
Distance/Time: 30km
Weather: Sunny, low 90s
Location: Prettyboy Reservoir, MD
Bike: 2015 Scott Addict Team Issue
Wheels: Zipp 900 Disc Rear, Zipp 808 Firecrest Front
Tires: Rear - Veloflex 700x22 Front - Schwalbe Ultremo HT 700x22
Gearing: 36/52 x 11-28
Finish: 3/15 (52:26.1)
Narrative:
My coach, Chuck Kyle, did quite a bit of analysis helping me prepare for this race, as it is definitely not the average flat TT course. This course is hilly, with steep climbs and descents, and the road is rough, really rough. His analysis of the original course (50km) showed a 10 watt difference for a 1:24 finish (winning time from last year in my category) between riding my time trial bike and riding my road bike. Since I am much more comfortable descending on my road bike, and it has easier gearing, I decided to set it up with my TT wheelset and go for broke.
Two days before the race, the organizer announced a change to the course due to emergency roadwork on a chunk of the race course, which reduced the length of the race to 30km. I had no issue with that, since riding for an hour and a half on a hilly course in July wasn't too appealing to begin with, and the longer course, given the elevation gains, would give Kevin Toups an advantage. On the shorter course, I can push harder, hopefully using my greater power to advantage.
Despite my plans, I did not manage to put out the level of power I expected, averaging less than 300W (NP 296) which I suspect had much to do with my cadence on the climbs (average cadence 86 RPM) Normalized power was 34W over my average, so I did take some advantage of the descents.
All in all, I had a good race, finishing 3rd in my category, and beating Kevin by two places, bringing me to one point below him in the series. As I suspected, the series all comes down to River Towns in October. Since I have beaten him every time I have raced, I fully expect to win the series.