Leadout Racing

Today was the Fisk Knob TT and the start of my 2009 season. Having never done a time trial I relied heavily on Scott and Dan S. to get prepared equipment wise and mentally. The weather was less than inviting but time trials are supposed to hurt and why not add a little more discomfort with snow flurries and wind. Dan S. was my 30 second man and I think that made all the difference as I knew the guy up the road was fast, steady, and someone to take my pacing cues from. After jumping off the blocks a touch to fast I quickly settled down and fell into a nice rhythm and started making my passes. The course was mostly downhill on the way out, making it slow going on the way back in. I caught Dan S. a touch earlier than I had expected, but that was probably due to my nerves and fast start. From that point on I tried to remain as fluid and smooth as possible, although all of that fell to pieces on the finish line climb when I just wanted the burning in my legs to stop. I had managed to go by both Dan S. and Paul H., but was unable to reel in Dan K. My finishing time was good enough for top in my age group and 2nd overall. I ended up having a lot more fun than I thought a TT could be and will definitely be taking another crack at one in the future. More important than my finish was the fact that we landed 3 guys in the overall top 10 for a very good showing. I also heard that the collegiate contingent had another good weekend, hopefully they can fill us in.
-GBK