The Berkeley 2TTT is Useless for Guaging Fitness

Yesterday, the Boy and I went out for the Berkeley TTT. Really, we signed up just so I could get some "real" race pacing work in. So, the plan was for me to ride the race solo and just make sure he stayed on my wheel for the finish. We finished in 1:06, which was about 8.5 minutes worse than the last time I did it. I'm deciding that I won't let that say anything about my fitness, as there are too many variables at play.

I think a lot of folks - even those with the same riding partner year after year are mystified by this race and times and what it says about fitness.  I say, just have fun! Anyway, the last time I did this race, it was in the W4 category with a team mate. The race was held on March 25 - about 5 weeks later in the season, and I had raced since January that year. This year, my first hard effort was last weekend. Also, last time I rode with booties and aero helmet and shared the effort with my team mate. This time, we were Merckx, but there was no Merckx category for co-ed. I also had a triple crankset last time, which helped me motor up the steeper sections of the Mama and Papa bears. And, yesterday, I dropped my chain so bad I could not get it back on without stopping. Needless to say, I lost actual time plus rhythm with that little issue. I also think it was quite windy yesterday, even for that course, which is always a bit windy.

But, all in all, it was a good, hard effort, a chance to pace, a chance to race with my sweetie, and a good excuse to have breakfast for lunch afterward. :)