Mill Mountain Time Trial recap

Today was part one of the VA Commonwealth Games Omnium. The Mill Mountain Time Trial up to the Star in Roanoke.


Yesterday my friend and I did a test run. It went spectacular. Just the two of us one at a time. With very little warmup I hit the start easy and steady. The whole ride just felt in the zone and at the edge but not over it. At the finish I felt totally fine. Ready for more even.

My time was 20:29 but I didn't do the exact course. I think my time might have been around 20:45 if I'd done the proper route. This is just a guess.

Today I made a mistake that I've made countless times. I got sucked in to racer mode and went out too hard. I never felt as smooth as the day before. My breathing was always too hard and at the finish I was spent. In fact I felt like crap for hours after and even into the night just felt terrible. Splitting headache and tired.

My final time was 20:33. So for the price of killing my self and putting me over the edge I got something like 12 seconds. What a bargain for me.

This situation is a great example of how after a certain point of intensity there are diminishing returns. This concept is also known as Less is More. I wonder if I'll ever learn?

This year there were some serious heavy hitting going on today. My 2 minute man passed me like I was standing still. A nice young man from Lynchburg broke the course record in a 16something. I got second in my class to a first place time in the 17s. Whew! Now that is something to inspire to.

I'm really happy with my improvement over last year. More than 2 minute improvement. Though I'd have like to see the kind of improvement that the Rev. Way to go. 5 minutes or thereabouts improvement.

Tomorrow is the XC race at Carvin's Cove . I'm a little scared now. It's going to be hot and in the heat of racing just like today it is oh too easy to go over the edge.

I'm waffling some on the proper strategy. The start is going to be a mass rolling start. The first turnoff to the single track comes very quick. I'd like to ride it at my own pace and not get stuck in traffic but at the same time I don't want to go over the edge too soon. The climb up the fire road is going to be the important turning point in the race. If I can get over it w/o going too into the red I might be ok for the rest of the race.

Again last week we pre-rode the course. Alone and in the groove I felt steady the whole way. I hope I can block out the others and just ride my own race.

This XC course is fantastic. The trails at Carvins Cove are just sweet. I wish more people would come out for this event and the hillclimb. They are just great.