Oregon State Team Time Trial Championships

Sun, a light wind, one couldn't ask for a better weather for the Team Time Trial Championships. A few weeks ago, I got an email from a friend riding for Team E-Web asking if I fancied a place in their echelon for the State Team Time Trial Champs. I said sure and the Men’s Cat-3 E-Web TTT team was born.

Now when you hear about teams who excel at the Team Time Trial format, there is a common trend, practice, and time. In our case, practice amounted to arriving early enough at the race so we could do a few clicks on the road. Yeah, we were tight.

So, the race format, four, seven mile laps around the plains of Corvallis, with two minute gaps between teams.

Our Team: Team E-Web, Jim (2006 RAO Solo Competitor), Ben, Doug, and big o'le me.

- The Start -

Rolling up to the start it was evident that the cycling gods must have favored us as we had an ideal starting position, last in our category. Team Guinness was getting their final count down. The Guinness guys looked good and with their launch, we had two minutes to chill. With the time trial consisting of laps the start had the added complexity of actively racing teams zipping through the start at the same time as other teams were being staged. With about 15 seconds to go a team shot through and then it was our turn to start the music.

The big trick on TT's is not to spend your load too early; ideally the fumes should only start to show up as one approaches the final line. Our start was tight, Doug, led the group out, Fish fell in, I was next, and then Ben. With Ben on the TT commenced and everything was jolly. Then approximately 5 minutes into the first lap, we had just passed a team of a different category, Fish was pulling, and as he drifted to the outside of the road and was suddenly off the road, throwing gravel everywhere! How Fish kept the bike upright is nothing short of a miracle. We eased up for a moment and then continued on thinking Fish was gone. Glancing back, someone said, "He’s back on the road!” with that we all slammed on our brakes, and awaited the arrival. With the team whole again it was time to really start the show. The now frustrated Fish, went to the front and showed the rest of us how it was done.

Team TT's are hard. In some ways I think they are much harder then individual TT's. In the ITT one just raises their pace to the maximum they can maintain for the distance and then just holds it. It hurts, but everything is constant, the tempo is steady. In Team TT's everything is different, when the rider is in the front they put out an effort far above that of their ITT pace then after a few seconds they rotate off reduce the intensity and slide to the back before jumping back on for another rotation. The big trick is jumping back on, sliding off is easy but jumping back on is hard as it involves a quick acceleration. If one misses the draft window it’s harder still.

Going into the third lap we were down to three riders. The rules for the TTT state that the third rider over the line is time so now for an official finish we would need everyone to bring it in.

Part of the reason, I do well in ITT's is I'm more of tempo rider. I like it when the tempo is constant changes in efforts are difficult and as such the laps were beginning to take their toll on me. I'd go to the front, drop my wad, Fish would attack, and I'd have to dig real deep to jump back on.

Some time about now, a Cat-1/2 team caught and passed us. But instead of opening a huge gap they just motored up the road a bit and then stopped pulling away. Being passed hurts, so we fought back and returned the favor. Then they passed us again but again after a bit we were again in the lead. I think this scenario was occurring because our team was holding a slightly more consistent pace then the 1/2 team.

A little time passed and then we caught the Ginuess Guys with one lap to go. Going into the final lap I pushed hard, and applied some force with my gastrocnemius (calf muscle) and felt the ever so slight tingling of an upcoming cramp. I swift gulp of cytomax, and a slightly altered pedaling style to avoid forceful contractions of the gastrocnemius and we were into the final lap. The whole final lap is a total blur.

Final Results: Team - E-WEB snagged first and first by a healthy margin (> 2 min), we ended up covering approximately 28 miles in a just a little over the illusive hour mark. Figure Fish's early off road race adventures, cost 30 seconds - 1 min, we figure we could have been under an hour if that whole escapade hadn't happened.

Now for note to all those entering the solo category at RAO this year. Fear the Fish. Trust me Fish is seriously strong, it was all I could do to hold is wheel today during the later half of today’s adventure. I don't think the Fish is RAAM qualified so it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see the great RAO tradition continue of requiring phenomenal race times to make the RAAM cut.

Link to OBRA: Results

As always, "It's Tartan Time!"