berkeley ttt

By Chris Latsch -- BBC TTT (4) -- 02/19/10

Berkeley TTT
There is something special about at race you can ride to from your house. The comfort of having ridden the course more times than you can count, knowing where you can make up time, knowing where your going to hurt and knowing where others are going to hurt. This was the case for me with the Berkeley Hills TTT. The course is 16.6 miles with two big climbs towards the end of the course. There is not really a flat section for the most part it is rollers and two big climbs. The course is also famous for the wind that on most days feels like it is always blowing at and never behind you no matter what direction you are going.

Johannes Kratz and I had planned on doing the race together. I had heard through the grapevine that Johannes was a strong rider and that we would make a good team. Thursday before the race we soft pedaled the course, which on race day became invaluable. Johannes and I worked out a plan that consisted of him working a little harder on the flats, because he was riding a TT bike and I was not. I would work the hills, each of us doing a minute to minute and half pull. During our pre race ride we discussed our goals for the race, the only one we came up with was that we wanted to pass at least one team. This goal was reinforced even more when start times were released and the group ahead of us was ex teammates of Johannes’s.

Our start time was 8:12, I took the first pull and felt great. That was the end of me feeling good, just into my second pull my legs tighten up and I could not get them to relax. The first section of the course is small rollers and a long downhill into a right turn. Over this first section we closed the gap on the group ahead of us to about 40 yard, they had also closed the gap on the team ahead of them. About 20 yards before the first turn they passed the team ahead of them however exiting the first turn both teammates had mechanical issues and they had to stop. As we came into the first turn we passed both teams and powered on our marry way.

The next section of the course is two short power climbs followed by a gentle medium climb and then a quick decent into a right hand turn. Exiting the right hand turn we found ourselves closing in on another team. By this point in time my legs had loosen up a little but still were tight. I shifted my focus away from my legs and onto the team just ahead of us. Quickly they became the team behind us. This section of the course could be classified as the “flat” section, a few small rollers. Johannes and I settle into our pulling rhythm and soon we had our next target in sight. Right before our final right turn we passed the team that just moments ago seemed to be small dots on the horizon

The home stretch is all about the two big climbs, Mama Bear and Papa Bear, both 7% grade and about 1500m long. On the way leading up to the climbs I checked in with myself. I was hurting but still had more to give. As we began the first climb I noticed a team about a quarter of the way up. I now had a purpose on this climb to catch the team in front of us and leave them in our dust. About three quarters of the way up we passed the team, crushing them. We crested the top of the climb and shortly after that Johannes came flying by me to carry me down the decent and halfway up the next roller. This stretch of the course posed a small problem for us, there are two medium size rollers and long decent in between Mama Bear and Papa Bear. During our prerace ride Johannes pulled across this stretch but I knew that when it became race time I would fly up the rollers. Before the race I told Johannes that over this section I would probably gap him. I knew he would be able to catch me on the decent but I did not know if I could catch him on the decent. During the race I did gap him and I began hammering the decent. A quarter of the way down Johannes came flying by, it took everything I had to get onto his back wheel. I sat in and got a small rest before the last climb.

This was it baby, do or die, leave nothing behind. To make things better we had three teams on the climb a head of us. I ignored the team just ahead of us and set my sights on the second and third team by the time we started our climb both teams were halfway up the climb. I set the tempo high and power strong maybe a little to strong I heard a voice behind me call out “ease up just a little”. I back it down and soon we found ourselves passing the team right in front of us and closing on the next team. Three quarters of the way up again the voice behind me spoke “ a little more” and so I slowed up just a touch, which was meet by a cry of “No go faster”. Right before the finish line Johannes pulled out from behind me and began hammering for home. The finish line was in sight, the team ahead of us just crossing the finish line, we dug deep and gave everything we had.

We crossed the finish line with a time of 43:05. In the end we ended up passing six teams and placing second. Overall this was a great race and I could not have asked for a better teammate.