Eddie Merckx TT

Had a blast at this last race for the season (unless I get a chance to try some cyclocross). The E. Merckx Time Trial race is like the usual time trial, (start at 1 minute intervals, racing against the clock) but different as they give out time penalties for some of the modern aerodynamic bike components such as aero bars (which put the rider in a more aerodynamic position), deep section wheels (more aerodynamic than regular wheels), and those funky aero helmets.

Riders were awarded a time for a vintage wool jersey. I haven't acquired any of the aforementioned parts/accessories, so my time was what it was.



Since I've been racing in the lowest category, and was the first to register, I started first (the slower riders are started first in order to have everyone finish closer together). It was interesting having someone hold my bike from behind so I could be ready to go as soon as the whistle blew (or in this case the starter said.... 3,2,1, go).

Time Trials are a bit different as you really need to know your limits and be able to pace yourself. If you go too hard off the bat, you'll blow up early in the race, if you go to easy, you'll have missed out on valuable seconds. Out of the gates, I found myself going much harder than I should, so I slowed a bit, and got into a good rhythm. Just fast enough to hurt a bit. I continued this rhythm, while staying as aerodynamic as possible (changing position on the bike can save considerable amounts of energy). This continued until 1/2 way through the second lap of birds hill park. This is where the suffering began. I was hitting a bit of a wall. My legs were burning, my lungs were working very hard, and if I had a heart rate monitor it would probably have been beeping madly at me.

After cresting a bit of a hill, I slowed a bit and tried to recover on the downhill while still keeping my speed up. It worked.... a bit. Then I just had to push harder for the last 4km or so.
It hurt a lot. Legs were starting to feel like Jello, Lungs working overtime, heart getting ready to explode. I must have been going fast......


I tried to get a hold of the photographer that was at the race that night, but no luck yet. So here's a picture I took of another racer after I finished.