Snake 2 & 3
The second and third installments of this year’s Snake Creek Gap Time Trial series went off with fewer hitches than the first and ended well.
# 2 Recap:
Good start and fresh legs but had major chain suck due to worn chainrings and muddy conditions. I’ve slowly come around to the fact that I need to be changing my chain about every 6 weeks to extend the life of my rings and cassette. The chain suck was pretty immobilizing and prevented me from getting into any kind of climbing rhythym. I’m sure my heart rate was elevated due in part to the worry that my chain could suck and stop my bike at a moment’s notice. Add to that I had a flat tire in the last half and the result was a semi-respectable 3:53, some 20 minutes better than the 4:13 from January due to mechanical nightmares.
# 3 Recap:
Torrential rain soaked the countryside the week prior to the race including the evening before, holding the promise of an absolute slop fest. The first 17 miles were a mess but, fortunately, I had a new drivetrain which held up to all that nature threw at it. I had raced a 50 mile gravel road grinder (Southern Cross) the week before and continued to train throughout the week so I was a little fatigued going into the race which kept me from getting my heart rate to the typical race pace of ~185 bpm. 185 feels like a real strain and anything above 190 that causes a weird ‘weak arm’ feeling and lightheadedness so I try to keep it around 185 to avoid dying on the trail. Today, however, I couldn’t get my heart rate above 175, no matter what I did. It was a strange experience; I would pedal up the steepest grade as hard as I could but I never got to the point of feeling near death. It all worked out in the end with a finish time of 3:28, which is faster than I thought I could go. I was still 5 or so places off the podium, but it’s the closest I’ve been at a bike race. I hope this is a sign of what the year ahead holds for me.
