Getting Back in da Groove

Oh, I know. I haven't posted anything for a while. I'll try to be better! This is a start....

Here's me crossing the finish line after 24.8 miles of hurtin'...did a not-so-great 1:04:28 but had to deal with a headwind on the return. Works out to a 23.1 mph average but I wasn't real pleased.

Last weekend, Jonnene and I went down to Castroville, Texas (about 30-something miles west of San Antonio) to do the Texas State Time Trial Championships. It was essentially a workout for both of us to prepare for the Louisiana/Mississippi TT's in two weeks. Being from Louisiana, we weren't eligible for any awards but we got a good workout. Jonnene improved on her time from the Arkansas time trials (see below) and is improving her time trialing even better than she probably thought she would. Her 1:10:30 got her 12th in the 25-deep Category 4 women's grouping. My race didn't start well before it even started: I blew out a tire on my disc wheel during my warmup and had to use a spare rear wheel I had brought with me. I always bring spare wheels when I go to races out of town. Of course, the spare wheel was not a disc so I'd lose some aero advantage out there on the course. I started fast with the tailwind but when I got about 3 miles into the ride I looked down and saw my front wheel skewer was loose! Had to pull over and tighten it, all within 10 seconds. Then I took off again, catching my 30-second man within the next mile. I would catch and pass five other riders and be caught by three who had started behind me. After a very smooth turn-around it was a battle against the headwind and the last four miles pretty much killed what had been a pretty good average speed (I was at 24.7 mph at the turn-around).

The rest of the weekend we spent in San Antonio, touring the Alamo and the RiverWalk. We did the good touristy thing and just walked about the area. I'm interested in the history there and it's always strange to know you're walking on an old battleground that now has a shopping mall on it!

Photos from the Arkansas State Time Trial Championships

(Above) After my ride....a 1:03:20 for a 23.5 mph average and I got a good idea where my fitness level was. The course was flat with a few bumps in it but I was pretty much happy with my effort. Photo by Paul Stillings

Jonnene rolling in after doing her very first 40 kilometer time trial. I wanted her to finish under 75 minutes and she did, with a 1:11:55 run. I was proud of her! Photo by Paul Stillings

One of my best buddies, Paul, came out to take photos of our race and we all went out to eat lunch later. I think we're trying to gang-sign here but it's not working out too well. I guess we're too white? Photo not by Paul Stillings