I know what your thinking. Vanderbacon isn't really going to write a blog about a race that took less than 8 minutes to complete, is he?
You're damn right I am!
So let me start by saying this: A few years ago, I did a number of time trials.I enjoy them, they are really fun in a hurtful, look in your soul and question your existence kinda way. The downside was that it quickly became clear that to be competitive, you really need to have TT equipment. Let me say, I would need TT equipment to be competitive and frankly I didn't have the budget for that expense. So my TT career was kinda short lived.
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| photo credit Velocipedesalon |
I signed up for the Monkey Hill TT this week kind of on a lark. I loved racing cross at Monkey Hill, and I figured I didn't want to pass on the chance to race up Monkey Hill again. I'll comment the cobbled classic hill is never smooth, but it is a lot smoother on a 33mm cross tire with 20lbs of pressure than tire on a road bike.
To my surprise the course was super technical, lots of corners, lots of cobbles, lots of place where you had to drive the bike. Most folks were on road bikes, although there were plenty of aero bars and tt bikes, but aero was not required: it was an awesome course. For someone with out many watts but lots of deception and guile (err hmm your humble blogger) It was super fun.
Got the venue early, and got to do a number of pre-laps.(Kinda like in cross!)
I rode two laps with Denise, who has been slapping me around on the local club rides and Shark Tank rides this spring. She had an earlier start time and rolled off to get ready.
Then I caught up with D-Lowe. We started geeking out on corners, and talking lines going up and coming off of Monkey Hill. We totally talked about tire pressure too. (Kinda like in cross!)
I love D-Lowe.
Finally, Mimi (the most awesome official and who I got to hug earlier in the evening) staged us to go.
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| photo credit Emily EO |
Stream of conscious race report starts now:
Almost over cooked the first hill coming off Monkey Hill,.. Same thing I did chasing Dennis Smith last time I raced cross here... somethings never change... get on the brakes and don't die... Okay we are at the bottom... hard corner into cobbles,... let the bike go ... no brakes... no brakes...power across the cobbles... across the bridge and up the false flat.. , get in the drops... stand up... race like a cross race, stand out of corners, don't think TT... Just over the top... A little more... Settle in, shift into the 11 as the course rolls back down towards the river... In the S turn sweeper a little too hot, scrub a little speed... not on the line I pre-rode...stay smooth... look down and see 30mph... sweet... two more corners... use the entire road... stand out of the corners, stand out of the corners.... Almost back to the base of monkey hill.. take a deep breath... Garvey just said something to me...
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| Photo Credit BK.... |
LVG is standing just across the line! "Great Job Marc! " Did you have fun!"
"yeah, that was great.... so fun... I think" I spun off to try and spin my way off the vomit comet.
Afterwards, it was great catching up with friends and sharing war stories- you know from our 8 minutes of racing...
As Blair said, "so many stories in an 8 minute run!"
Turns out, D-Lowe and I were just a few seconds apart in the finish (just like cross)
and we finished in the money! HEY NOW - That was unexpected!
I had to run back to the center of the universe for a hot dinner date with my awesome wife,
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| Said Awesome Wife... |
To say I was stoked, would be understatement. 364 days until my next TT....
thanks for reading
and yeah I'm aware it probably took longer to write this than it did for the entire race.
respect
VANDERBACON
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