"Beat the Clock" time trial

02Jun07

There is a good time trial series that’s run on the Peninsula, on the popular Canada Road, where a lot of peninsula cyclists ride and train, called the “Beat the Clock” time trial series. Oh, and there is an uphill time trial up Old La Honda as well, which I’ll be doing on June 30.

Fee is some $25 or so, and proceeds go to the Lance Armstrong foundation fighting cancer. I’ve done the Canada road event, and it’s good fun, well organized, and a very good course. It starts off on what is essentially a downhill, but it doesn’t look like it at all, and you really feel like you’re flying in the first 2 miles. What you don’t realize unless you’ve scouted the course is that it’s very much a downhill. The uphill sections in the “out” section (the course is an out and back) is actually deceptively shallow, and both climbs can (or should) be done in the big ring. Coming back is another story altogether! Again, what is actually uphill feels deceptively flat, and you feel like you’re struggling and you’re always trying to figure out why. What looks like a fairly steep downhill, those big ring climbs from the way out, are actually not that steep at all and require effort to keep the speed heading downhill at the right speed.

All in all, a very good TT course, and a good race. Painful, but fun.

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