Team,
As the weather continues to show inconsistency, the results of the Church Ranches Time Trial show otherwise. 31 tough riders came out in the Red Black and White to show their winter leg hair, new gear, new kits and winter-spring fitness in the "Race of Truth."
The girls were sent off first. We had a group of 5 fast chicks going off at 1 minute intervals through the really fun and windy course. Marilyn showed up late so she didn't get her chance to race head to head with Tanya. Tanya was really upset by that, especially when she heard about all the smack Marilyn was throwing down. Looking at the results, Marilyn got the best time of the ladies, with her late start, she must have had the more favourable wind conditions.
Tomo and Marcy looked really strong on the course dealing with the strong winds. I could hear Marcy huffing and puffing and blowing the course down on her second lap, good job.
We had 26 guys come out to show their stuff. Guys came on TT bikes, road bikes and thankfully no cross bikes. I was the only with an aero helmet on, just because it fits my toque better then my other helmets. We went off in 1 minute intervals as well, same hilly turny 6.3 km course as the ladies.
The first riders off were Tom, Thomas, Andy and Brent. These boys were the first lambs sent off for the big wolves to chase down. The best looking guy was Tom Kenney by far with his military issue, green long johns under his race kit. His shirt was riding up his back so bad it looked like he had a marine issued T-Bar or something. It was awful on every level. Thomas had the fastest time in the group of 33:00 flat in tough conditions.
The next dudes were Matt, Will, Jared, Simon, and Darcy. None of these guys look to represent anything of the Clydesdale physique. Jared ripped the course apart and road 30:03. He really took it to the field and rode awesome.
The next group started to contain the bigger dudes, yours truly included. If anyone was happy about the course and the conditions yesterday, it was definitely me. The wind and small hills were perfect for the guys that can generate big watts in short bursts. I was able to catch several guys that were sent off before me. Course familiarity was in my favour, I ride that loop probably 3 times per week. I knew where to expend big energy and really lay it down. I ended up with a 3rd place finish at 32:39.
Looking at the rest of the results, we have a strong team of time trialists again and hope to have excellent results throughout the year.
It was great to see Stephen Kenny out yesterday. He is riding really well and it is awesome to see him back out on the road again. Good job Stephen.
It was another ride where the weather held off, and we took advantage of the window that Old Mother Nature presented us. Thanks for coming out team and it was good to see you all out there.
Slayer Dan
4 comments:
Dan must have been going cross-eyed because of the huge watts he was putting out: both me and Charles were also sporting aero helmets. Of course, Dan passed me like a Saturn V rocket on liftoff, so he didn't have too much time to do a fashion inspection.
The new skinsuits are awesome: I put mine to poor use by putting a jacket on so I wouldn't freeze to death, but I sure felt really aero underneath the jacket. Like most of us, I have a love/hate relationship with TT's: I love to hate them. Between screwing up my start completely (not Dennis' fault, btw), using a TT bike without disc wheels, and getting my head blown sideways because of the wind catching the helmet fairing, that was one of the longest 36 minutes of my life. And I can't wait to do it again. It was great to see so many people out!
Also, a huge thanks to Trev and Marilyn for hosting the bbq (I think Jared manned the grill most of the time), and to everyone who helped sort the kit. It was awesome to meet a lot of the new team members, and the new kit looks spectacular. Thomas is making sure we're the best looking team in the ABA, and between the Tom Kenney Sunday rides, Trev's spin, Dan's TNT, and Harley's marathon rides, we should be one of the fastest teams in the ABA too. And looking at all the kids that were out, we could have quite the junior team in about 15 years...
Jay Rankin should get the credit for the burgers, Jared and I were just the wingmen giving support.
Crap, the fashion police have caught me again. Who in their right mind would want to stay warm on a cold April afternoon. I see Trev chose Fashion over function and was so cold he couldn't ride. And yes, I wear my sunglasses Ínside my helmet straps. They stay firmly affixed to my head that way.
Kidding aside, thanks Trev et al for putting on the TT and the BBQ. My legs were nicely warmed up for todays crazy ride.
Good job Jared, Charles and Dan.
Thanks again Trev for organizing this event and even sacrificing your own run for the team. This made up for the cancelled ITT two weeks ago. And today's Millarville ride made up for the cancelled Prairie-Roubaix with good damage. On the drive home it was Slayer's "Hell Awaits" on Liquid Metal. Right on!
PS: Dan, the posted list must be a first draft with some inaccuracies e.g. Trev's time is really Dennis's.
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