Dusting off the TT bike

Last weekend's ride was extra tough on me for some reason. It was a long one (97 mi) with a 9-mile hard charge at the end that ended up as a 2-mile sprint and a 7-mile time trial for me. I never felt strong the entire day, and it's taken me much longer than usual (3 or 4 days) to fully recover.

I figured since I was going to take an easy week for recovery, I might as well make use of the low-watt hours in the saddle to begin re-acclimating to my TT bike position for the Tundra Time Trial next month. I mounted my Cervelo P2K on the computrainer on Monday, and it seemed like I could barely turn the cranks. I think I average about 135 watts for half an hour. My calves, hamstrings, and back ached for a day or two after the first ride. But after 3 or 4 days of gradually increasing my efforts each day, I'm feeling much more comfortable in the TT position.

Last year I created a model of the Siver Comet Trail 9.5-mi TT course on my computrainer including slope, normal wind patterns, etc. Based on my most recent ride on the course, I'm already approaching my last year's competition time without a full effort (about 210 watts ave). I'd like to ride the CT course at 240 or 250 watts average before the TT. That should put me somewhere in the mid 24-minute range (last year's ride was 26-something) and give me a shot at the top 10 in my category. Mostly, it will give me an indication of how much improvement a year's training has made.