The Peter Teeuwen Memorial Omnium 23 Mile Time Trial #2

Posted by Dan on 27. July 2009 18:30

Sunday was the PLT TT #2 and having just got in from Mathias, WV, I was ready to go. Now that Chris McMillan has upgraded to Cat 3, my main rival is Matt Keane of Fat Frogs. I've come in 30 seconds or so behind him a few times now, with my 8 second lead in last weekend's TNP TT the one exception. Today I'd try to do that again.

My time from PLT #1 was 0:51:48. I was shooting for less than 51 minutes. I arrived with plenty of time to warm up and make a few attempts at pinning my number on the skinsuit. Start time was 10:09 AM and it was already getting hot. Winds were from the southwest at about 10 mph. That worked out well as the direction favored the return portion of the course.

As an added bonus, we had a starting ramp and Gerald Teeuwen held starters to give us that extra boost. I'm a huge fan of this and hope they keep it. I always wondered why the PLT was the only TT that required starters to clip in after the start.

I hit the ground running and tried to keep my power output about 10 watts above FTP, knowing it'd average out to be right at FTP and I could build from there as time went on. I felt very good and kept the pace high all through the headwind portion of the ride. After the third turn, the wind was less of a factor and I picked it up a little more. I didn't pass a single rider until after the fourth turn, where I scooped up five of them before making the next turn. Then another before making the final turn onto the final 6.1 mile straight. This was the fun part, as my speed didn't drop below 28 the whole way home. When I crossed the line, I was going 32.

After a few moments recovering and fighting the urge to hurl, I checked my watch. It APPEARED as though my time would be 0:49:something. Unfortunately, it turns out my watch was a minute and a half off of the official's and my final time was 0:51:39 - a mere 9 seconds faster than last time. Coincidentally, Matt's time was 0:51:11 - 4 seconds faster than HIS last time. That time got me second place.

PLT TT #3 is next Sunday. I'm shooting for a sub-50 minute time, though at this point I think shaving 20 seconds off my last time is a more realistic goal. My average power says I could have gone harder, but my lungs tend to disagree. Being a man of science and believer in numbers, I side with the PowerTap.