Toona TT

So we all rode down to the start from our lodgings (couple of miles) and it was hurry up and wait. They were measuring bikes for UCI legality at the start and we were initially told we could have the bikes checked (weighed and measured) an hour before so we had time to make adjustments as necessary. Once there they said nope we had to wait until all the men had started. So it was find Chris and Scott (our crew) to change wheels for those who brought disc wheels and helmets and to eat and drink.

For me that was also time to practice some held starts. I have chickened out of being held the few TT's I have done this year and Toona had a big scary ramp so I was going to take a standing start. But Chris gave me some pointers and practiced with me a few times and I decided I would most like make it off the ramp the right way - rolling down on top of the bike, rather than fall off the side like I was afraid of.

I thought that since I was riding a road bike with clip on aerobars that I would be OK, but for peace of mind (didn't want to find out 10 mins before start that I had to make adjustments, I had mine checked... Seat was too far forward... so it was off to SRAM neutral support to have it moved back a cm. Then back to be remeasured and corralled in the start house.

Up on the ramp I got clipped in with both feet (for me the hardest part of the held start) and was so focused on not leaning that when they said go I froze. Lost a couple seconds on that. but then it was down the ramp and into the first two corners in a blink of an eye.

Then the 8 block in the areobars section hammering up hill ... took me about half the course to get into the rhythm of the corners.

When I finished I heard the announcer talking about that I was riding a regular bike with aerobars attached. I was too busy expelling lung tissue to pay much attention though.

I did a couple miles or so in warm down trying to figure out how to get back to the staging area without riding on the course, and took off the clip on bars and moved my seat forward again and hung out for a time. None of us were called for doping control so we rode back to our lodging for dinner.

Results are not on the web yet.

7/7 9AM: found some results up at Cyclingnews.com ... not dead last but not far out of it. 72/77 starters. With a time of 6:40 I was one minute down on the leader. Our best placed rider, Jenny Ives, was 33rd, 28 seconds down.