The Popular Black Dog Time Trial Series kicked off this week, and near perfect conditions greeted the 100+ riders Wednesday night. The ‘Dog’, is a series of 9 TTs staged on a flat 7 mile out and back every other Wednesday throughout the summer. The roads have become increasingly bumpy (LARGE Potholes and Minnesota go hand in hand), and the road remains open to vehicle traffic, yet the 100+ riders in attendance is proof of the increasing popularity of racing in the area.
Time Trials are always gut wrenching, but I was eager to suit up and see how well my engine was operating. I had no idea what to expect, but the door was wide open and I was decked in full race kit, complete with 808 front and disk back, I put the hammer down. I was not sure how it was going while I was out there, but when I crossed the finish line I was trilled t see a 20 sec PR. Over the course of the series last year (I did 6 races), my average time was 16:42, and Wednesday night I pulled off a 16:17.
Now my goal is to break the coveted 16 min mark this year! Hopefully the adventure I have on tap this weekend will help me get there...
This Weekends Adventure:
Today I’m off to Boston where I’ll join pro triathlete/bike machine David Thompson (DKT) at the MIT wind tunnel. Although I’m not one to spend too much time analyzing the details of my aerodynamics, I decided that was an opportunity I could not pass up. David and I are both part of the Gear West Elite team, and Gear West, along with Zipp, Lightspeed and Speedo, helped put this weekend adventure together. David and his wife Hanna are both MIT grads so I’m sure we’ll get the inside view while touring campus. We have a full weekend of Training/sight seeing planned (these activities are bundled together as most of our sight seeing will be on bike, or while running), and Tunnel testing is scheduled for Saturday morning. I have a 1 hour slot where we’ll work though our predetermined test plan to gather as much info as possible. My main focus will be aerobar setup i.e. stack height, arm width, and Brand (Zipp vs, Vision). I will also test various clothing, and hydration options. Should be a blast-Literally as I get hit with a 30mph wind!
It should be an exciting weekend, and I’m trilled to have the chance to explore a new city with friends. Kerry has come along as Photo Crew so I’ll be sure to post plenty of pics throughout the weekend.
PS-thanks for all the Kona accommodation suggestions. I’m very close to booking. Now I just need to decide when I should arrive. W
