The Pilot's Perspective - 2019 Para-Cycling Road National Championships Time Trial

Thursday, June 27, 2019 

2019 Para-Cycling Road National Championships

Time Trial

Start Time: 9:22:00

Bib: 45

We allowed a little extra time as we headed out this morning.  Access to the course was from a different location today due to road closures.  Fortunately, we pre-drove the route yesterday as the information provided was missing a few details…(ie - it was wrong)  We arrived in the parking area as planned about 7:15 and squeezed the big truck up next to Adam’s camper.  

Our first stop after restrooms was to bike pre-check which we passed with no issue.  We then returned to the truck. We sat in the truck for a bit and ate breakfast while looking out over the Cinch River which had a low layer of fog over it and ducks and geese paddling in the water.  We prepped the bike and ourselves and headed out for our warm-up. We opted to take the bike path as we had the first day we rode to get a nice stretch in and get away from the congestion of cars, trucks, bikes, hand cycles and trikes in the parking area.  We had a nice ride, traveling along the river, passing many out for their morning walks and winding through the thick green trees.  

We returned back to the truck, dropped our extra items and made one last stop at the restroom before heading to the start.  Our bike was checked again and we were ordered for the start. We had two holders in the start gate as the clock ticked down and signaled our start.  And we’re off. The course consisted of 3 laps in the shape of a T. We started out to the right - made a 180 degree turn about 0.8 miles out, passed back by the start continued straight to a right turn that served as the trunk of the T, climbed a short punchy hill (6 pedal strokes out of the saddle) followed almost immediately by a tight 180 degree turn.  The turn had a lip on the pavement to the right so no play on that side and dirt and gravel on the left. We did get into the dirt and gravel a bit but were able to turn pretty well. The return down the trunk is fast and goes into a sweeping right and almost immediately into a decent climb. The 180 degree turn around point was a bit closer than we had practiced and  right off of a very high speed downhill. We learned after the first time that we needed different gearing coming into it for the next two. Coming off the turn the course goes right back up the hill we had descended and by down the other side - we passed the trunk of the T at a pretty good clip, continued onto the start/finish where our split showed 19:06 (there was a digital board above the course showing our race number and time) and started lap two. 

Our goals for laps two and three were to increase intensity with each lap. My personal goal was to fix the turns at each point to make them smoother than the last.  The first turn was definitely better the second time through. We had a police moto that was right ahead of us from the start of the race. He slowed as we climbed and found he had to speed up when we descended as we would catch back up to him quickly where it caused enough question in my head whether he would move on time or not.  The turn onto the tree trunk the second time went a bit better than the first time but I still had to coast. I heard Wendy tell me in my head that we needed to pedal through that so set the goal for lap three. Our 180 went better the second time and we made a quick descent back down the trunk and back out to the climb. This time after catching up to the moto our 180 went much better with gears in the right place.  Split did not read on the screen as we came through. I shouted out what my computer said and knew we had gained a little time.  

Lap three brought our best turns of the race!  I was able to pedal through the turn onto the trunk and the effort felt solid all the way through the finish.  Our time 58:09. Our effort placed us in third. We made our way off the course, through the crowded parking lot and were able to spin around the circle at the end of the parking lot for a few minutes to settle our legs down.  

We then went to awards and visited with friends. 

Home after the awards, we unloaded the truck and settled in.  My shower and food was delayed by laying on the couch which felt pretty good at that moment.  A recovery afternoon, dinner out with a group of friends who are here and shift gears tomorrow to focus on the road race.  

TT Complete.  

With my athletes, any time they race I request a race report to share 5 celebrations, 5 challenges and 5 goals/learning opportunities to carry forward to the next race and beyond.  Here are my 5s.

5 Celebrations:

1.180s improved each time through

2. Pedaled through the turn at the trunk on Lap 3

3. Finished under an hour

4. Hill climbs were strong

5. Able to push hard to finish for last 1K

5 Challenges:

1. Turns - keeping momentum through constant accelerations and decelerations 

2. Pedaling through turns (tuck the fear)

3. Electronic shifting - muscle memory caused a few misshifts when focus switched to race mode

4. Speed suit contact point

5. Helmet sticker

5 Goals/Learning Opportunities:

1. Keep practicing turns with accelerations off the back

2. Tandem handling to pedal through tighter turns

3. Aero helmet with sticker securely fastened (I had a road helmet and a very flappy sticker)

4. Warm up may be best on a trainer - lots of congestion due to so much equipment

5. Consider equipment changes that could provide fine tune changes (TT Bars, helmet)

The Pilot's Perspective - Race Prep

Watching a spectacular sunrise over the Tennessee mountains as we prep for our first race this morning.  Bottles filled, kit items on and packed and food ready to go. It is go time.  

The last two days have been full but controlled as we prepared for today.  Tuesday morning, after “sleeping in” (times changes help with that) we researched where the TT course was in relation to our AirBnB farmhouse as well as the store, the Starbucks and the necessities.  I did my best to write down turn by turn directions of the course as the information provided in the online maps only touched on the highlights. We then headed out to drive the course. After a couple of loops and flipping the mental picture of the course in my head we nailed the course and drove it one last time to feel it as it is.  The course lines the Cinch River - with rowers and cool fog sitting on the surface of the water.  

From the course, we drove to the store.  Grocery shopping with two hungry and one visually impaired cyclist makes for entertainment to say the least.  I think it was the longest shopping trip I have had in a long time and required back tracking a few times to find the missing phone, reclaim our cart from the shopper that took it and hunting around for the “healthy” items on the low lying shelves.  We returned home to find our deli turkey, intended for lunch, was not with us and still at the store. We improvised lunch with other items purchased and then the bike build commenced.  

I was once again amazed by Wendy’s ability to feel her way through the bike build.  Her process and system is definitely fine tuned and is a good example for the rest of us.  After finding a home for the missing bolt, and making last minute adjustments we were ready to roll.  The RAM 1500 rental truck turned out to be a great pick. The bike slides right in the bed. All of our gear in the back seat and we were rolling.  

We headed back to the course with plans to ride on the bike path alongside the road.  We found the bike path to have many obstacles (big poles in the middle to keep cars off - that are not placed well for tandems) and opted onto the road as other cyclists were out there.  We were able to ride the course several times minus the 180 degree turns in the middle of traffic and to strategies a bit about different sections. We then rode the bike path along the river as a final shake out.  Things were feeling good.

We returned home.  Cooked up a good, healthy dinner and headed to bed - a bit earlier than the first night, but still late.  

Wednesday, we woke with plans to head back out to the course at 10.  We spent a quiet morning and prepared to ride. Arriving at the course, there was much more activity than the day before.  USA Cycling Trucks and Trailers, pro team vans and support vehicles and many other para athletes with their support. They were building the barriers on the course, had lane closures and many people both on and off the course.  We were very glad to have had our peaceful recon yesterday as today appeared to be a situation of making the best of what we could get in. We rode for about an hour and a half, returned home for lunch and showers and headed to athlete check-in, dinner and athlete meeting.  We had hopes of many questions answered but left with little more information than we already had.  

When we arrived back to the house, we gathered things for the morning and headed to bed.  One more sleep til race day.

The Pilot's Perspective - Para Road Nationals 2019 - Knoxville, TN

It started with a message.  A touch from a contact reaching out to gauge interest in participating in an event.  In this case, Para Road Nationals in Knoxville, TN - my involvement as the pilot to a tandem and beyond that very little information available.  

My initial response - excitement.  Excited to have a stoker reach out to me to have me play the important role of pilot for her big event of 2019.  My initial response - fear - am I in good enough shape to support her goals? Will I be able to perform to the level I expect of myself and my commitment to her?  Am I capable of this? My initial response - logistics. Can I take the time away from family, life, jobs, and responsibilities to pursue this opportunity? My response - say “yes” - figure it out later - thanks to prior coaching in my life that mentality stands strong.  So, I said yes.  

I took time after saying yes to run a self evaluation.  Where does my cycling fitness stand? What changes do I need to make to better focus on the outcomes of these races (yes, there are 4 that we will participate in)?  What are my controllables that I can manage now to show up as prepared as possible? The good news at this point was being in a pretty good place with my cycling training.  Thanks to a snowy winter, I had spent a lot of time in the Inspired Training Center Computrainer Studio and had gained fitness, power and refined skills.  

I then made the connection with my stoker knowing she had an amazing coach working with her and gained access to her training data so I could monitor to ensure I was hitting similar landmarks as she was.  This was a very valuable tool with us being in different states and minimal opportunity to train together prior to race week.  

There were times during the past few months when I wondered if the trip was going to happen, if the races were going to publish information and whether I was still holding the position as pilot.  There were times I questioned and still am questioning what I am getting myself into. There were times I questioned my why and if my why was strong enough for me to deliver at the event.  

We were able to schedule a training camp in early June.  We had three days in Colorado - learning the process of transporting and assembling/disassembling the tandem, getting ride ready and riding together in varying (ok windy) conditions to get used to each other and how the bike handles together.  I was truly amazed at the things I learnedf from her as she assembled the bike by feel and dialed in the proper fit for me. This provided a great connection for us and a good confidence builder but also reinforced the fears knowing as I dropped her at the airport to return home that we were two weeks out from the event.  This is real. We are doing it!

The last minute preparations were made.  Packing lists checked and re-checked. Gathered necessary tools, supplies and equipment needed and made every preparation possible for the family while I was gone so as to not interrupt the routine too badly.  A huge thank you to my family for supporting me in saying “yes.”    

Now, I sit on the plane - headed to Nashville.  We will meet in the airport a few hours apart, get our rental truck (the tandem transportation vehicle) and head to our AirBnb in Knoxville about 2 1/2 hours away.  Then after a good night’s sleep, the race preparations will begin.  

It’s go time.  Enjoy the ride!