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| In my mind I had split the ride into thirds. The journey out across the lava fields, up to/down from Hawi and the return through the lava fields. Dad and Ian were in several strategic locations and it was great to see them every so often. Towards the end of the first crossing of the lava fields, the crosswinds fired up and I had to get off the bars. Tech Zone: On a really windy day, I bet that drops would be more aero (overall) than bullhorns. I probably spent close to 55 minutes on my bullhorns due to crosswinds. I was very happy with the performance of my Hed J2 on the front. I would not recommend anything deeper than a J2. I am sure that my CX would have been blown all over the place. I ran a Deep for my rear wheel and that performed well. If I returned then I would consider a set of Rolfs. On a windy day, I would be willing to bet that one could gain more from being able to stay on the bars than the added aero benefit of the Deep. Then again, I could probably log another year of solid training, save the money and still improve my time. I was getting close to the Hawi climb around 2:05 into the bike (3:20 into the race) and the pro men started passing on their way down the hill. There was a headwind going, my feet hurt and my legs were starting to protest a bit. I appreciated the distraction of watching the pros. Tim De Boom was way out in front with a large pack (the way it looked to me) chasing him down. I had heard that the pro race was a bit of a draft-fest but my experience with the AG race was a very fair, very strict policing. There were no umpires around and with that many guys, the pros might have been taking a chance that only one person would be busted at a time. There was a headwind on the climb but it was less than what we experienced when we drove up a few days earlier. Still, I wished that there was no wind so I could get up out of the saddle and not feel guilty. I started reciting the Dave Scott mantra, "focus on the present, do what you can in the present". It worked for a while. Things got a bit tougher so I switched to "things will get better, this is just a tough patch, things will get better". I didn't feel better but I kept moving. People were smoking down the descent and looking forward to that kept me focused. I was getting close to the turnaround when Nicole flew past heading back down. She shouted "Hi" and it was a boost to see her. A refreshing rain shower followed Nicole. Soon after I was rolling through the turnaround, which is well short of the mental halfway mark on the bike. I grabbed my bag and restocked without stopping. I am quite proud of the fact that I didn't stop for the entire bike ride. I won't get too technical here but I am making good progress in the art of "on the fly relief". Next Page |  My smile says it all. Loving |