
(click the image to get larger)
Finishing up the TT tuning tonight. It was basically an hour and a half out on the TT bike making sure muscle memory of keeping the arms pulled together in the right spot and feeling the saddle at that sweet spot - if there is such a thing on a TT bike. I paced recovery up through sub-threshold through turns and some stops/starts. We all spend so much time focusing on intervals and all that stuff, but I’m going to start incorporating more ride fit/bike handling/cornering/position on those recovery days where I’m not really worried about intensity. Today was a good day to do it because I didn’t want a super easy spin so a few 5-6 minutes at upper tempo wasn’t going to ruin my “recovery/not break a sweat” type ride.
I needed to bring the aero-bars angle up just slightly, and I pushed them out a little bit further - slightly beyond the “min insert” length. I found myself with my hands higher than the shifters and slightly forward. I moved the pads a little bit further forward as it almost felt like my arms were going to slip over the front of them. All in all, I felt excellent on the bike. I found the sweet spot really on the bike where I was holding a steady 43-45 kph at a steady spin. Hopefully I find that some sweet spot Saturday morning.
I won’t get the steerer tube chopped on time for the TT on Saturdy, but I’m not too worried about that. It’s a flag pole right there in the dirty air behind the powertap CPU, my hands and elbows. The saddle position is NOWHERE near UCI legal. Nose drops down right at the bottom bracket. It would be something else to go back 5 CM, but until I’m worrying about nationals, I’m not worrying about saddle position.
Tomorrow night is a good leg opener at Wakefield and I finish with a Friday pre-race day workout. Feel good. Legs feel good.