Carney, Josh, Ryan, Scott and I put on the aero gear and tackled the Doubling Gap State Individual Time Trial Championships on Sunday. We all had different goals for the race - Ryan and Scott wanted to give it a go after battling nagging injuries all season, Josh wanted to let loose on the Cat. 4's, Carney wanted a high placing in the 3's, and I just wanted to hit that magic number 13 and finish 13th or better to move me into the lead for the season long PA B.A.R. competition.
I was first to head off - I felt better than I have all week, but a long season of racing is taking its toll on me and I just didn't have the snap in my legs to post a great time. I kept it rolling though, knowing that Carney was starting only two minutes behind me. Carney had a great ride, closing in on his minute man after only 5 miles and getting me in his sights early on. I managed to hold a charging Carney off until the last kilometer, but sure enough, he came charging past me heading into the final climb to the finish.
Carney: 46 min. 39 sec.
Cameron: 48:38
No matter what Ryan says about his performance, it was truly impressive. The guy has had severe back problems all season and he hasn't raced his bike since early May - somehow he's managed to stay fit and motivated all summer and pulled out a very respectable 48:49.
Scott's ride was another frustrating addition to an already frustrating season. His right leg (IT band issues possibly) started acting up about halfway through the race - at one point hitting him with more pain than he'd ever experienced before. Understandably, Scott shut it down and just finished the race with no concern about his time.
Josh rifled off a nice 49:38 - CUTTING A FULL 5 MINUTES off his time from last year. Nice. Not a bad improvement at all in just one year!
Overall the team should be quite happy with its performance in this tough race.
Cat 3/4:
5th - Carney (tied for 10th OVERALL)
11th - Cameron (10th PA resident)
12th - Sohmer
17th - Sanderson
Cat 4:
6th - Brand
Full Results
