Its been fun to wear the SMU colors to a number of Time Trial races this year....kind of an antidote to all the burnt orange and moron...uh, I mean maroon jerseys out there! The season's gone pretty well for me, with some big performance improvements with better training, better race strategy and some more experience. I'll post later on some of these things that worked well for me this year.Here's some notes on some of the events this year....hopefully we have some folks that would be interested in doing a few next year...possibly even a team event. Note that you do need a racing license to compete, but both USAC and USAT offer 1-day licenses at $10 if you're not interested in a yearly.
Horse Country Time Trial Series - Aubrey, TX - 20K
----------------------------------------------
3 of these races were held on a country road not too far from Denton. Its a challenging, hilly 20K course that is a well-run, inexpensive event. Wind direction is a big part of the strategy at this event...if you've got a tailwind going out, make sure you govern your output to the turnaround, because you'll have uphill into the wind on the way back. Usually can do this one without a water bottle.
Dam Time Trial - Joe Pool Lake - 8 miles
-----------------------------------------
This is a USAT-sanctioned event (triathlon), so the event is chip timed, and sleveless jersey friendly....you'll get body-marked too for good measure. I actually prefer the chip timing and lack of a safety-pinned race number/parachute. This is a standing start (no holder), but you get about 3 meters to start and clip-in before crossing the timing mat...so this works pretty well. Its a flat course, but wind can be a factor. Fortunately, I had a crosswind this year, so I was able to set a PR. The drawback is that its held at 6:30pm on a friday evening...meaning its hard to get to with traffic...and its HOT! The race director plans to offer more of these next year. Overall, its a very good event.
State Time Trial Championship - Pattison, TX - 40K
---------------------------------------
I've done this race 2 years in a row now and its a good event to learn what you're capable of.....its a flat course, but wind, heat and very high humidity make it a challenge. 40K means its short enough to go really hard, but long enough that you risk 'spending your money' too early and fading at the end. I have not had any issues in the past couple of years with this event, but be aware that there have been complaints from racers that the residents and law enforcement are not supportive of the event. One rider was stopped by the sherriff, made to get off her bike and was given a ticket for crossing the white line (marking the shoulder) and into a traffic lane.
Run-far Time Trials - Joe Pool Lake - 8 miles
---------------------------------------------
Run-far (chip timing company) is offering a series twice a month at Joe Pool lake (on the dam)....there's some events still scheduled for this year...check out the following link for more details.
http://www.run-far.com/depts/rfbikett.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment