time trial
7/21/06
Time Trial
56 kilometers
On my 41st birthday, fortune smiles upon me. We are staying in a nice hotel with AC, and pool, and above all, quiet. I find myself appreciating some of the gifts of the trip.
The weather, for the most part, was spectacular. Although we rode a few days in temperatures that were in excess of 100 degrees, and saw our share of melting roads, it could’ve been hotter. If it had been over 100 degrees in the mountains, I believe I would have been in major difficulty.
We also got to see the mountains. A lot of times they’re covered in clouds. The views of the Alps were spectacular.
The injuries we endured were, for the most part, manageable. Here’s a list:
Guest 1: Sore muscle outside of the tibia bone, saddle sore, one crash resulting in minor scratches and bruising.
Guest 2: Week-long bought with nausea, upset stomach, one medium crash resulting in bruises, cuts, shoulder soreness.
Guest 3: Arrived sick, overuse-knee issue, nausea.
Guest 4: Saddle sore, medium crash that resulted in road rash, bruised knee, general soreness.
Guest 5: Major overuse issue with knee, chafing issues, forced to retire from the TDFC.
Guide 1: Medium overuse issues with knee and hamstring.
Guide 2: Manageable overuse issue with knee, and thigh muscles.
Guide 3: Barely manageable saddle sore, overuse issue with knee.
Guide 4: One minor crash, cuts, bruises, manageable overuse issues.
Everybody: sore undercarriages.
Even though the guides were stronger than the guests, no one will arrive in Paris pain-free.
I told Dr. Rob Kantor, the best all-around guest rider on the trip, that when I wanted to do this, I had 3 goals:
-ride every kilometer
-climb well
-be a good teammate
He reviewed the evidence, including the make-up miles, the climbs, and the experience of us living with each other, and replied, “mission accomplished.”
Dr. Rob is a good man and I’ll accept his approval.
It wasn’t a perfect ride, but I doubt such a thing exists. If you’re going to strive for an ideal, you have to learn how to accept an outcome that is less than the ideal, but more than nothing.
According to Dr. Rob, we have climbed 133,000 vertical feet. That’s like riding 26.2 miles, straight up hill. That’s a lot of climbing.
Today, we took on the time trial. As the roads were still open, we had to keep the throttle at a manageable level.
It was a very enjoyable ride, because not only did we ride it for ourselves, but as fans, we reviewed the course to see how it would impact the standings of the Tour. The camp is fiercely divided along national lines. The Danes want to see CSC perform. The Americans are hoping Landis of Phonak wins. We’ll see.
At the end of the route, I was surprised to see my wife and my mother at the finish line. We had some team pictures, introduced the team, and had some laughs.
Tonight is one of our last team dinners. Not a bad way to spend a birthday.
Time Trial
56 kilometers
On my 41st birthday, fortune smiles upon me. We are staying in a nice hotel with AC, and pool, and above all, quiet. I find myself appreciating some of the gifts of the trip.
The weather, for the most part, was spectacular. Although we rode a few days in temperatures that were in excess of 100 degrees, and saw our share of melting roads, it could’ve been hotter. If it had been over 100 degrees in the mountains, I believe I would have been in major difficulty.
We also got to see the mountains. A lot of times they’re covered in clouds. The views of the Alps were spectacular.
The injuries we endured were, for the most part, manageable. Here’s a list:
Guest 1: Sore muscle outside of the tibia bone, saddle sore, one crash resulting in minor scratches and bruising.
Guest 2: Week-long bought with nausea, upset stomach, one medium crash resulting in bruises, cuts, shoulder soreness.
Guest 3: Arrived sick, overuse-knee issue, nausea.
Guest 4: Saddle sore, medium crash that resulted in road rash, bruised knee, general soreness.
Guest 5: Major overuse issue with knee, chafing issues, forced to retire from the TDFC.
Guide 1: Medium overuse issues with knee and hamstring.
Guide 2: Manageable overuse issue with knee, and thigh muscles.
Guide 3: Barely manageable saddle sore, overuse issue with knee.
Guide 4: One minor crash, cuts, bruises, manageable overuse issues.
Everybody: sore undercarriages.
Even though the guides were stronger than the guests, no one will arrive in Paris pain-free.
I told Dr. Rob Kantor, the best all-around guest rider on the trip, that when I wanted to do this, I had 3 goals:
-ride every kilometer
-climb well
-be a good teammate
He reviewed the evidence, including the make-up miles, the climbs, and the experience of us living with each other, and replied, “mission accomplished.”
Dr. Rob is a good man and I’ll accept his approval.
It wasn’t a perfect ride, but I doubt such a thing exists. If you’re going to strive for an ideal, you have to learn how to accept an outcome that is less than the ideal, but more than nothing.
According to Dr. Rob, we have climbed 133,000 vertical feet. That’s like riding 26.2 miles, straight up hill. That’s a lot of climbing.
Today, we took on the time trial. As the roads were still open, we had to keep the throttle at a manageable level.
It was a very enjoyable ride, because not only did we ride it for ourselves, but as fans, we reviewed the course to see how it would impact the standings of the Tour. The camp is fiercely divided along national lines. The Danes want to see CSC perform. The Americans are hoping Landis of Phonak wins. We’ll see.
At the end of the route, I was surprised to see my wife and my mother at the finish line. We had some team pictures, introduced the team, and had some laughs.
Tonight is one of our last team dinners. Not a bad way to spend a birthday.
posted by joe berkeley at 10:20 AM
2 Comments:
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