Can-Am Police and Fire Games 2010: TT

I'd never TT'd before, so I didn't really know what to expect. The day before the race, I had gone to preview the 9 mile course with my teammate Ramon. The course was mostly flat with a few rolling hill thrown in. My bike was prepped with clip-on style aero bars, and my seat was moved to the forward position. Instead of "holders" (somebody holding your bike, while you clipped into the pedals), we had metal gates to lean on. I entered the gate, got a few last minute words of advice from Ramon, and off I went! The last thing that Ramon said to me (in his Puerto Rican accent) was, "Remember...leave it all out on the course. Don't save ANYTHING for tomorrow, just concentrate on TODAY." Hammering down the first straightaway, I managed to keep the bike around 27mph for the first couple miles. After a few quick turns, it was onto the back side of the course, where the hills were. I was breathing heavy, and my heart rate was in the 170's, BUT my legs weren't going numb yet, so I kept pushing. I turned onto the final stretch, which was about a 1.5 mile long straightaway, where I dialed it up a little further. This is when I started to really feel the effort in my legs. I considered backing off the power a bit, when I remembered what Ramon said to me: "Don't save ANYTHING for tomorrow...", so I kicked it up even further! When I saw the finish line, I pushed my legs until I couldn't see straight anymore! After crossing the finish line, I couldn't help but laugh out loud at how much fun the TT was! I was laughing, hurting, and struggling to breath; all at the same time! It was incredibly enjoyable! I knew my time, but didn't get the results until the following day at the criterium. My effort had earned a Silver medal! My teammates, Ramon and Dennis, both earned Gold!