CruzLike
Guru
Hi Tribe
Last nights ride was not epic because of the length of the ride. This ride was a little different than what I have run in the past.
This ride was epic, one, because of the location of the ride. It was located on the west side of Indy in a town called Speedway at 16th and Georgetown. Also known at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The second reason was the great weather conditions that lead to some good performance. Don't let me give away the story yet.
This event was the Corporate Challenge. Companies around town assemble teams and compete against each other in different events. Some events are competitive and others promote participation. Twenty five years ago I was able to run a mile. That was the event of choice. I knew back then, if they would have a cycling event I would like to take part. About ten years ago they started a time trial event. About 4 years ago was my rebirth to cycling. All excited to take part, I studied the course then read the rules. In bold letters No Recumbents. Last year I asked the ride organizer why no recumbents. He really didn't have a good answer. He thought he would recommend this change next year. He didn't say it but I'm sure he was concerned with the kind of people that ride recumbents coming to his event.
Spring roles around and the event is promoted. I was anxious to read the rules. Recumbents were allowed if you have a safety flag standing 4' about the ground. For this being a closed course, I had no idea why. Sometimes you just go with the flow.
Lets backup 3 weeks. There was a practice event at the track. Our company used it as a qualification event. We had 8 riders and 5 spots. I went out first and clocked at 13:24 for the 6 mile circuit. Later in the evening one of the young whippersnappers on our team wearing a skinsuit, pointy hat and a track bike, took off on a lap. I thought I would ride in his draft and have a leisurely lap. He took off and I could not catch him. He was my Katie Couric. (in a French accent) I spent the next 13 minutes in pursuit. According to Strava I beat him by 2 seconds. I rode the segment at 13:02. I didn't know how I was going to come up with 2 seconds. I wanted to break the 13 minute barrier.
Race day rolls around, I'm well rested after a couple weeks of training. The day was sunny and 80 degrees. Very low wind. It could have been cooler but I was not complaining.
The organizer's wanted the faster riders on the track first to limit the amount of passing. I had an early seeding and I parked in the lot with all the other fast 50. It was a who's who of bikes. There were some high end bikes and serious riders. Complete with there trainers to warm-up on.
I'm a frugal person and I would not believed ten years ago that I would spend the money to buy a V22. In comparison, after walking the parking lot, my Cruzbike was one of the least expensive hot rods I saw.
While preparing my bike a fellow rider walks by and she comments "I'm glad to see another Cruzbike" After a short game of 20 questions, I learned that we had met on The RAIN ride. She was Daryl's wife. Her and I were the only recumbents to compete. The V is the preferred recumbent at Indy.
The warm-up area left a little to be desired. I wanted to ride near 23 mph for a while but it was a little dangerous on the small flat parking lot with other riders. I did the best I could. Then rode over to the starting line. I had to wait in a line of 40 riders that was in the que. After 10 minutes I was ready to start and pretty much cooled down.
I took off. I wish I could say it was a jack rabbit start. I did not take advantage of the support at the starting line. He offered to steady my bike prior to my blast off. I foolishly said no. That cost me a couple seconds.
I got up to speed pretty quickly. A little faster than my practice laps. Since I was riding with slower riders I began passing riders. I lost count after 5. Every time I looked at my speed it was always 2 mph faster than expected. The segment on the road course was over 28 mph. I was cruising. I exited the road course on to the oval and began riding on the back stretch. I kept an eye on the watts, speed and rpm and adjusted accordingly as I circled the famous oval. I knew were the last mile and the last minute began. I wanted to ratchet it up a little at each point. As I finished on the front stretch, I pushed hard but my speed was stuck at 30.2. The head wind I could really feel.
I finished the race crossing the yard of bricks. I cooled down and packed up my bike. As I was walking back to meet the rest of our group, I noticed a board that many riders were congregating around. It was a list of finishers and times. I found my name 3rd from the top at 12:15 @ 28.1 mph. As the results were updated, I ended up 5th of 450. I was quite surprised that I found 45 seconds. Also how I compared to my piers.
Daryl's wife (sorry about the name) was thrilled with her results also. She beat her goal of 15 minutes.
I always enjoy riding at the track. The Motor Speedway is a jewel of our community. Being a gear head and a racing fan, it always is a thill to ride at the Brickyard.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1793998280
For the 6 mile segment. My time was in the top 5.
For a segment on the oval my time was in the top 3.
https://www.relive.cc/view/1793998280
BTW V22 was not a typo. It's 22 for the caliber bullet that I'm riding.
Last nights ride was not epic because of the length of the ride. This ride was a little different than what I have run in the past.
This ride was epic, one, because of the location of the ride. It was located on the west side of Indy in a town called Speedway at 16th and Georgetown. Also known at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The second reason was the great weather conditions that lead to some good performance. Don't let me give away the story yet.
This event was the Corporate Challenge. Companies around town assemble teams and compete against each other in different events. Some events are competitive and others promote participation. Twenty five years ago I was able to run a mile. That was the event of choice. I knew back then, if they would have a cycling event I would like to take part. About ten years ago they started a time trial event. About 4 years ago was my rebirth to cycling. All excited to take part, I studied the course then read the rules. In bold letters No Recumbents. Last year I asked the ride organizer why no recumbents. He really didn't have a good answer. He thought he would recommend this change next year. He didn't say it but I'm sure he was concerned with the kind of people that ride recumbents coming to his event.
Spring roles around and the event is promoted. I was anxious to read the rules. Recumbents were allowed if you have a safety flag standing 4' about the ground. For this being a closed course, I had no idea why. Sometimes you just go with the flow.
Lets backup 3 weeks. There was a practice event at the track. Our company used it as a qualification event. We had 8 riders and 5 spots. I went out first and clocked at 13:24 for the 6 mile circuit. Later in the evening one of the young whippersnappers on our team wearing a skinsuit, pointy hat and a track bike, took off on a lap. I thought I would ride in his draft and have a leisurely lap. He took off and I could not catch him. He was my Katie Couric. (in a French accent) I spent the next 13 minutes in pursuit. According to Strava I beat him by 2 seconds. I rode the segment at 13:02. I didn't know how I was going to come up with 2 seconds. I wanted to break the 13 minute barrier.
Race day rolls around, I'm well rested after a couple weeks of training. The day was sunny and 80 degrees. Very low wind. It could have been cooler but I was not complaining.
The organizer's wanted the faster riders on the track first to limit the amount of passing. I had an early seeding and I parked in the lot with all the other fast 50. It was a who's who of bikes. There were some high end bikes and serious riders. Complete with there trainers to warm-up on.
I'm a frugal person and I would not believed ten years ago that I would spend the money to buy a V22. In comparison, after walking the parking lot, my Cruzbike was one of the least expensive hot rods I saw.
While preparing my bike a fellow rider walks by and she comments "I'm glad to see another Cruzbike" After a short game of 20 questions, I learned that we had met on The RAIN ride. She was Daryl's wife. Her and I were the only recumbents to compete. The V is the preferred recumbent at Indy.
The warm-up area left a little to be desired. I wanted to ride near 23 mph for a while but it was a little dangerous on the small flat parking lot with other riders. I did the best I could. Then rode over to the starting line. I had to wait in a line of 40 riders that was in the que. After 10 minutes I was ready to start and pretty much cooled down.
I took off. I wish I could say it was a jack rabbit start. I did not take advantage of the support at the starting line. He offered to steady my bike prior to my blast off. I foolishly said no. That cost me a couple seconds.
I got up to speed pretty quickly. A little faster than my practice laps. Since I was riding with slower riders I began passing riders. I lost count after 5. Every time I looked at my speed it was always 2 mph faster than expected. The segment on the road course was over 28 mph. I was cruising. I exited the road course on to the oval and began riding on the back stretch. I kept an eye on the watts, speed and rpm and adjusted accordingly as I circled the famous oval. I knew were the last mile and the last minute began. I wanted to ratchet it up a little at each point. As I finished on the front stretch, I pushed hard but my speed was stuck at 30.2. The head wind I could really feel.
I finished the race crossing the yard of bricks. I cooled down and packed up my bike. As I was walking back to meet the rest of our group, I noticed a board that many riders were congregating around. It was a list of finishers and times. I found my name 3rd from the top at 12:15 @ 28.1 mph. As the results were updated, I ended up 5th of 450. I was quite surprised that I found 45 seconds. Also how I compared to my piers.
Daryl's wife (sorry about the name) was thrilled with her results also. She beat her goal of 15 minutes.
I always enjoy riding at the track. The Motor Speedway is a jewel of our community. Being a gear head and a racing fan, it always is a thill to ride at the Brickyard.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1793998280
For the 6 mile segment. My time was in the top 5.
For a segment on the oval my time was in the top 3.
https://www.relive.cc/view/1793998280
BTW V22 was not a typo. It's 22 for the caliber bullet that I'm riding.
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