So… first Dump Block ITT since February… Thursday evening, perfect weather conditions. It stopped raining early afternoon after two days of solid wet. The afternoon was mild, the wind wasn’t too windy, the sky was overcast.

I felt really wound up, this isn’t the usual everybody together race turn-out. This is a Thursday night TT. We have some of the best in Hawkes Bay riding these… medal winnners at the Nationals, international riders from the Bay – Jeremy Venell was there (and won it naturally - in 23’10” ).

So here I am, with a bunch of the elite club riders and a handful of teenage ‘young guns’. There are only two other vet women there – one is visiting from out of town and rode in the Nationals. The other is a woman I know well (Karo) and ride with often – we are in the same grade and on Saturday we will be in the same team in the Team Time Trial.

We start in these evening TTs in the order we sign up – Karo is number 1, I am #18. Both in front and behind me I have A-grade club members (the fastest grade) and Jeremy is starting 3 places behind me… way to make a girl feel out of her league!

But I won’t be intimidated. This race is against myself and I have been waiting all year to do it…

I start well – held, my feet are clipped in, I am in the right gear… I’m off…. Stand, build up speed and then down into the aero position… around the first corner and up the first rise and the first person catches me and flies up the rise as if he were gliding downhill… I momentarily wish “hills” were that easy for me, remind myself I am travelling well up the hill and focus back on my rythym. Get to the bridge – a car is approaching on the other side, I slow and prepare to stop – but they have stopped – unexpectedly, and wave me on – so I wind up again, cross the bridge and grimace and mouth thankyou at the car – I can hear a disc wheel behind me and sure enough, just before the next left onto Omaranui, Jeremy Venell glides by effortlessly…

I start up the rise and somehow drop my chain – I never drop my chain on my TT bike – never, but I did this time! And changing back wont hook it on so I pull over, cursing, and put it back on. Jump back over and immediately topple, I had been too quick and the chain wasn’t on properly. Curse again and take more precious seconds to pop the chain on AGAIN!

And off, over the rise and settle into a rythym… I watch my HR and ride only to that. Aiming to keep it above 152bpm – my LT is 158.
This is the part I love – its pretty much all flat now, and I can just ride. Its hard though – I have no-one to chase and I much prefer that.
Men still passing me at a steady rate… that’s ok. This is my race. The river smells good and I breathe deep and concentrate on matching my breathing to my legs…

Turn left again and past the golf course – another guy passes me and then buttons back – I keep pace with him for about 600m.

Over the bridge – I know I am nearly there. I want to do this race in 33minutes, and I have 10 minutes to make it to the finish line… I should be able to do it. But this bit of road is notorious for unhelpful cross winds and sure enough – there they are L

I can see further and I have more riders in sight – including the first one I am catching. This makes it easier to lift my speed

As I turn and head down to the finish line, back past the lagoon, I have only one rider in front of me and nothing to lose – I should give it everything and slowly wind it up – I start to debate whether I can catch him before the line and finally decide to stop wondering and just do it. I mnanage to lift my speed to 38kph for the last 500m and we cross the line at the same instant and I sail on by wheezing and unwilling to let my legs stop – I know they will hurt when I make them slow.

I glance at my speedo – 32minutes55secs… I did it – unofficially I did it! Yay me.

My official time is 33.30 – but that time includes slowing at the bridge and my chain coming off twice and a topple to the ground.

I am well chuffed.

Karo has beaten me with her officail time of 33.18 … but she didn’t stop st the bridge and she operated her gears well and didn’t drop her chain. That half minute discrepency matches my guesstimate of what I lost…

I did it girls… I wanted to do it in 33 minutes and I did… I wanted an average of 32kph on this course and I made it with 32.08kph.

Well chuffed with myself…