Ravin' on... Racin' Goals

[RoadRaven]

Thanks Shefly... I like your maths... power + headspace = attaining goals



OK... this forum... Well... this is supposed to be race reports, right?

Here's my first experience of a team time trial...

The idea in a team TT is that you start with the whole team, but only some of the team have to make it to the finish line. The team starts together - the idea is you get an effective paceline going and time trial the whole course but together.

Ramblers ran its second "5-up TT" a few weeks back and it was the first time I participated in one (the first 5-upTT cooincided with my 'worst' period day... cramps no good when you have others relying on your absolute effort). In a 5 person team, you can lose one person along the way - your final time is the time of the fourth person over the line. You might lose a person because they can't keep up, or they blow their legs or they have a mechanical failure - like a flat tyre.

This effectively means you MUST work as a team in order to get the best time. If you have a disparity in ability within your team, then it should become the responsibility of the strongest 1-2 people to stay with the others and do the bulk of the work on the front, in this way the best time for the team will be achieved.

Unfortunately not everyone in my team understood this... hence my delay in posting a race report... I was very disappointed in the event, although very pleased for the experience.

The course we had had two good hills in it (not ideal for a TT) and I warned the team they would likely lose me on the first hill, but I would work hard all the way out to it and help them get the best time to the first hill that I could.

So, the first hill arrives but we have already lost one person as she is not as strong on the flats as us, so now I really feel the pressure - I will be the fourth person across the line and my time will be the team's time - right? Well, maybe, if we had worked as a TEAM!

Only one of the team stayed with me as I struggled up the hill, and he pullled and pulled me trying to get me back to the front two members who gradually pulled away from us and seemed to be riding their own race.

I had completely blown my legs on the first hill playing "ketchup", and had only really recovered when it was time for the second hill. Bugger!

The girl we dropped before the first hill had managed to catch us as she is much more capable on the hills and I yelled at her to stay with Peter and I would see her at the finish line. I gratefully dropped my pace a fraction and spun some lactic acid out of my legs, before lifting my pace again and riding the remainder as an ITT.

At the end, I apologised to the guy who stayed with me and told him I would be working on my hill climbing. I also acknowledged the huge ammount of work he had done and credited him with the time we managed to get. If the other two had come back/waited for us and helped him to pull the fourth rider to the finish line, our time would have been loads better. I couldn't find the girl who ended up being fourth across the line, I haven't seen her at subsequent races.

I did not talk to the other two members of the team - I was toooooo angry with them. I know it is probably just a matter of people not understanding how a TTT works, but on the day I was just mad and the best thing was to just walk away.