2012 Tour of Hermann - Part One

Dang... this event ended up being a bit of a troubling experience for me... I gained may things, but positive reinforcement for my cycling lifestyle was not one of them...  I definitely cracked hard after Hillsboro... my weight ballooned and my self-confidence was tentative...  so many 'excuses' but I will try to keep that down to a minimum... though it is nice to vent, so my apologies...
Tour of Herman TT

The Tour of Hermann TT start-house.

The idea was to dig as deep as possible to post a solid time in the TT in hopes of getting some points toward the omnium that went back 16 places.  The TT is a 14 mile out-and-back course that includes quite a few steep out of the saddle type inclines.  Not really my specialty, but a fitting profile for this event, known for its challenging terrain.

I was feeling great when I was warming up... ok, except for the fact that it actually was quite chilly... unlike last year, this year's event was a bit brisk.  Actually, it was probably the exact perfect temp for posting fast times for the TT.  I had to wear full gloves and a base layer, but didn't really think about the temperature at all once things got rolling.

I took off feeling good and pretty confident.  I had a chance to ride my TT bike a few times this year, since we had some mild temps in Iowa.   I also brought more appropriate gearing for the course, remembering how steep the climb was at mile 4.

The field this year was definitely at a higher level.  A guy was wearing the stars and stripes USA pro TT champion jersey, for example... ok, 1st place was off the table.  Another guy had on some sort of USA cycling champ skinsuit as well... A pro from bissel and garmin, etc.  As is always the case, good races grow each year and get tougher.

I executed accordingly out on the course and my effort was solid.   I had a better result than last year. I shaved some time off (I think, unless they shortened the course), and posted an improved average speed.  I checked out the results before the last wave and was happy to see that I was in 9th place... perfect!

Oops, all the big guns chose to roll out on the last wave... I watched my time plummet to 20th out of about 42 Pro/1/2 starters.  Dang... this is going to be a tougher field than last year.   TT Results (includes competitors from the entire event). Teammate Paul Deninger, however held on for 11th, so we were happy to have some points on the board.

I will post the report from the criterium that happened later that day and the road race in a few days once I can find some pictures.  Check back if you like reading reports from riders who had "bad days"... 

In the meantime, I am researching ways to induce anorexia nervosa:  Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by excessive food restriction and fear, irrational fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body self-perception. It typically involves excessive weight loss.

This sounds like exactly what I need to improve my cycling... namely excessive weight loss. I also need to have more of a distorted body self-perception.  Lately, I have been liking the way my body looks. Ridiculous, I am 5 pounds heavier than I was at the Tour of Hermann last year... I just can't seem to stop doing push-ups... Hmm, all those donuts aren't helping either.  Younger guys with inherent talent and good genetics can get by with having a normal build... not me, I need to look ill to be bike fit.  I have been getting compliments from non-cyclists regarding how healthy I look.  This has been devasting to my self-confidence.  I know what that means... and it is nothing but trouble with respect to maximizing my power to weight ratio... So please, let me know once I am starting to look sick... I need a pick-me-up, and that will make me feel a lot better.