WOW!

The race report from my road races and encounter with fame. The Glenwood Springs Omnium. I was only doing the TT and the Crit, as doing the 85 mile road race may have been a bit long for me, and would have set me back another 50 bucks putting my total for the weekend around 150.00 with one day licenses included. Friday night was the time trial. I underestimated the amount of time I would need to get there, and as a result just barely was able to get my number, sign a release, and get in line for the start.... exactly how I wanted to start one of my A events for the year.... with no warm-up. I started in second position and my goal was to avg. over 26 mph as my previous best in a TT was 25.98 mph in Decatur. I really had no idea how strong my legs were, as the only group road rides I had done had been with 50+ year old men..... The course was rolling with one short, steep, hill immediately after the turn around. Cross tailwind on the way out, and cross head wind on the way back. I was not using my power meter for this event, as I really wanted a fast time and the power meter is a little heavier. So I just tried to push it as hard as I could without going anaerobic. I never saw the guy that started in front of me until the turnaround, and the guy that started 30 seconds behind me passed me immediately after the turnaround. YIKES! Got passed by my 30 second man after 5 and a half miles. I must have been going SLOW was my thought.... or he was just really fast. Expected the way back in to be fairly slow and to be struggling, but I was still doing 25, 26, 27, mph every time I looked at my computer. At the 1K to go sign, I really punched it and still had a little left for a sprint at the finish. (Which tells me I should have gone harder out on the course....) I finished with a time of 24:01 @ 26.98 mph!! Awesome! I achieved my goal, and exceeded my expectations by almost an entire mile per hour! Ended up finishing 13 of 28 in the cat 3's. I was on a road bike with dish wheels and aero bars with a TT helmet. Maybe a little faster on a full TT bike, but I was extremely pleased with my effort.

After my cooldown, I came back to the starting line just in time to see a guy in full Astana kit take off. I asked someone who just took off and they were all excited and said it was Levi Leipheimer! HOLY COW!!! Lance was at the starting gate taking off next!!! How awesome was this! They were here because the course was only a short drive from Lance's Aspen home, and Levi has been there training with him for the Tour. After they took off, I went back to the car to get Natalie and we went up the the finish line to wait for them and take some pics.

Lance after his cooldown, signing autographs and posing for pics! He is so freaking skinny!

Lance was in full TT kit, helmet and all. Levi only had the bike, no TT helmet. Lance beat Levi by about 25 seconds or so, but Levi thought his brakes were rubbing the entire way. It was their first Time Trial on these new TT bikes.

Levi was kind enough to let me take a picture with him. I think I am a little bigger and taller than he is..... It was a pretty awesome experience! They were both there with their families. It makes them seem so normal when they are around their kids and wives. Like, hey look, they are not super human after all, they are actually really normal people!

On sunday I had the Glenwood springs Crit. It was a figure 8 type course that suited a punchy powerful type of rider. Bottom line is that I got dropped 20 minutes in. I do not do enough rides on the road with people that are faster than I to be in the shape I need to be in to do well in a 50 minute max effort crit. I believe the reason I was so much stronger in the TT is because I do most of my road training on my own. No draft. Kind of like riding a time trial. Never thought I would be doing a Time trial with Levi and Lance, but it was a really cool opportunity to see them and meet them in person!