Phil and Paul |
Getting the engine started (note: I'm wearing pink in honour of Ryder Hesjedal's monumental Giro win!) |
One of Paul's favourite phrases as he tries hard to express the kind of suffering that a rider is experiencing on the bike is that the rider is "digging deep into the suitcase of courage."
Let me tell you...this afternoon I finally learned what that phrase actually means.
Because of the thundershowers, the day was inordinately humid, and as the sun began to shine in the late afternoon, mist began to rise off the asphalt parking lot where I was warming up for the Time Trial. I was sweating and feeling like I was back in Malaysia. I've written before about my pet theory about how it's harder to breathe and be powerful on the bike when the air is thick and humid, and I definitely think that was the case today.
Waiting at the start line to go! |
As this is our last week racing 10kms, and my first time was 17:51 and my second time was 17:13, all I wanted to do this week was break into the 16 minute mark.
As I turned around and started racing hell for leather back for the final 5kms, I told myself to forget about high cadence and breathing, and just pedal my little heart out, and that's what I did. At the 8km mark, I just clicked my bike into a harder gear (you know how I like the "big ring," hence my nickname), put my head down, and pedalled as hard as I possibly could. I was digging deep into that suitcase of courage.
I didn't see the finish line.
I didn't see my time.
I didn't even see The Man cheering me on.
I was dead tired, cross-eyed, and utterly spent. So I noodled along the road until my eyes and legs worked again and I stopped huffing and puffing, and then I turned around and rode my bike back to the car to await the final times.
And guess what? I placed 3rd overall in the Time Trial and had an average speed of 35.53km/hr, with a final time of 16:59! Since I made it under 17 minutes...I guess all that digging into the suitcase of courage paid off.
Over and out,
Joy
Great job, you're starting to scare me. "The Man" convinced me about high "Lance like" Candence several years ago too but then I dabbled with the Brett Sutton philosophy of low cadence and WHAM I took half an hour off my Ironman bike time. I aim for a cadence of 83 (I used to ride at 107) and swear by it. (Sorry Rueban but it works).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, awesome stuff Lindy aka Joy aka "The Woman" keep it up.
Yay Big Ring! Don't you always wear pink though? lol
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