Presque Isle TT 4/26

I packed up everything (at least I thought) for the TT on friday night so nothing would delay from an early departure up to Presque Isle on Saturday morning.  I wake up ontime but realized as I was getting ready to walk out the door my TT bike computer is not on the bike, not in my bag, and nowhere to be found.  I spend 20 minutes searching the house for it knowing that I just had it yesterday to enter my ride data from a previous ride.  I end up giving up the search and reassure myself that it will be better to ride the TT just on HR anyway.  Ha. 

Due to the delay because of the search I arrive at Presque Isle around 7:40am for a 8:15 starting time.  By the time I register, get my equipment ready, bolt the bike into the trainer and get ready to warm up I realize it is 8:04 and I have 6 minutes until I need to be at the start area!  Yep, I am not feeling really good about a strong TT with everything going so well this morning.  I unattach the bike from the trainer  and do a quick 2 minute ride up the warm up road and then ride to the starting area.  I am at no point warmed up, in a good mood, or focusing on the TT.  

I decide to keep the pace moderate until my HR monitor catches up and then keep my heart between 180-183 for the entire TT.  This works out well for me but one thing I realize is I have no idea what gear I should be in because I don't have a cadence readout, no speed indication, and not enough TT bike training this year to automatically know these things yet.  So I error to the side of turning a smaller gear instead of risking a lactate blowup.  

Since I have no computer, I have no clue my average speed or time, I really didn't have a clue as to how I was doing.  I pass quite a few people, 10+, but get passed by 2.  I cross the finish line not expecting great results but hoping for a time around 29:30-30 minutes.  I finished with a 31:33 for the 12.5 miles or a 23.76 mph avg.  I was pretty disappointed but not surprised.  In 2007 I did the course in June at 24.24 mph on a road bike.  I will be back in June and likely in the fall for the goal of 26mph avg this year.  Its also early in my training, I have less than 650 road miles on the legs and much of those were base miles.  By June I expect to be in much better shape, will arrive earlier, and better prepared.