I've had a Time Trial (TT) bike for a couple years now. Last year, I picked up one of those dorky looking aero helmets. And this year, thanks to Bryan Redemske loaning me his set of Bontrager Aeolus 50mm deep dish wheels, my TT bike was ready to go faster than ever.
The bike did go fast. At least for the first 8.25 miles of the 24 mile course. With a generous tailwind, I was averaging 28 MPH before noticing that the front tire started going mushy. Sure enough, I had flatted.
DNF.
I couldn't help but think how Dennis Menchov must have felt during his bike troubles at the 2009 Giro Time Trial in Rome. I mean, it was like eerie how similar our TT experiences were. Except that Menchov rode on wet cobbles and I was on dry asphalt. And he had a team car, mechanic and an extra bike waiting for him, while the only person following me was my minute man, Brandon Fenster, and he wasn't about to give me his bike. And Dennis had a spectacular crash broadcast over live international television; mine was a trifle less exciting as I skillfully brought the bike to a controlled stop on a dusty county highway. And I suppose that retaining the maglia rosa jersey meant something special, too.
Other than that, it must have felt exactly the same. Exactly.
Anyway, thanks to Omaha Velo Veloce for putting on a great race. Congratulations to all the victors and all who finished the race. For the rest of us, better luck next time.
Hey Dennis Menchov, let's swap war stories over an Italian soda sometime. My treat!
Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
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Let's pick up the story in roughly the middle of the action.
... Goldilocks first sampled Papa Bear's porridge, "Holy shit, that's hot,"
she cried, toss...
2 years ago
For about 30 seconds after I passed you walking in the road, I thought to myself, "THAT'S how I could stop the pain: fake a flat!"
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying that your flat wasn't an accident, but at that moment I would've traded a flat for the agony.
I recovered my focus pretty quickly, but still, walking looked so much more comfortable than perching on the nose of that saddle....
If there's anything I was grateful for, it was that I flatted during the tailwind section.
ReplyDeleteNobody looked happy coming back on the return trip. Had I still been in it, I'm not sure if I would have been projecting Basso's bluff in that head wind.
Did you drop your mid-race EPO syringe or something causing your flat? Geez.
ReplyDeleteToo bad. I would have LOVED to have another Nebraska State Champion man sized large jersey that would have been too big for your girly shoulders.