Pontiac Lake Time Trial - April 23, 2011

Tailwind Racing website:



Each Spring I go through the emotional torture most commonly referred to as "pre-registration". Like clockwork the Yankee Springs Time Trial usually goes off without a hitch unaffected by early season trail conditions. The sandy trail on the West side of the state is ideal for early spring and summer riding. The Pontiac Lake Time Trial is held the following weekend in SE Michigan on a trail with much different soil (mud) conditions. Early season conditions can be hard on the trail, drivetrain and overall mental state. After a week of snow, rain & cold temperatures the question remains. To race or not to race...?
More later.

UPDATE:
Like a sign from above the weather cleared for a stellar day of racing. I arrived in time to help set up the team compound and BS with old & new friends. Unfortunately, while this was going on I should have been standing in the registration line as the new operators were struggling to process the increasing throng of racers. The line continued to grow but after a long wait it was business as usual. At least the sun was shining! In a nutshell, I tend to suck at the short, intense effort known as a Time Trial.

I guess a better warm up may have helped but it's usually the same result for me. A fast start followed by a blow up a few miles in and I spend the rest of the race recovering. Pontiac Lake is a demanding trail with sharp climbs, rocks and plenty of roots. The trail was in great shape although I went down on the greasy climb after the switch-back section. My legs felt OK although my bike handling skills were kind of sketchy. I kept falling off my line and lost rhythm in the process. Anyways, I was passed by several guys in my age group on lap one and quietly rode a smoother second lap to finish out 5th in the 50+ Expert class.

The RACING GREYHOUNDS were well represented in many of the classes and a huge shout out for the awesome team support and relaxed vibe. FABOO!
Team compound (aka The Tootsie Roll)

Jeffro carefully tending to the ribs:

Cameron took third in the Elite class. I guess Christian (1st place) had other places to be:

Roper won his age group riding a singlespeed!

Pusher and Janice:


RESULTS: