Karen Hornbostel Memorial Time Trial Race Report

erinBy 303 Ambassador Erin Trail

I had the opportunity to participate in this 7 week time trial (TT) race series and I JUMPED on it. TT racing had always been something I was curious about but had never tried. I have the TT bike and the aero helmet, so all I needed was the willingness to endure 7 weeks of all-out riding. Easy peasy.

The Karen Hornbostel Memorial Time Trial (KHMTT) is a 7 week series that runs every Wednesday night from April 7 through May 18, 2016 and is a fundraiser for BRAC and the Cancer Fitness Institute in memory of Karen Hornbostel, a four-time master’s national road champion. The course is a 9.5 mile ride that goes through Cherry Creek State Park. The series registration is $160 but they also offer a 4-pack for $100 or individual races for $30. You also need to purchase a USA Cycling (USAC) license ($70) and a Bicycle Racing of Colorado (BRAC) license ($25). The good thing about these licenses is that they’re good for road, mountain, or cyclocross bike races.

Being that I was a beginner and new to TT racing, I had NO IDEA which group to place myself in for the race series. I was given a choice of Cat 4 (the lowest level of competitive cycling for women) or an age group. If there are 10 or more participants for the division, there are 3 podium spots; if there are 9 or fewer participants, only the fastest finisher gets the podium. My research showed that Cat 4 is the most “beginner” category and that usually former Cat 2/3 cyclists sometimes reside in the age group categories. A look at the race registrations showed that the Cat 4 group had 9 participants; if I registered in this group, I’d bump the participant count to 10 and give two other ladies a shot a podium, so I entered as a Cat 4. (If any other Women Cat 4 ladies see me, you can buy me a beer as a thank you, since I’m pretty sure I won’t be on the podium.)

The first TT was April 4 (this past Wednesday) and I truly had no idea what to expect – both from the race experience and from me. I had just ran the Three Creeks Half Marathon 4 days prior and was nursing some leg soreness. And to be honest, I haven’t done a whole lot of HARD cycling over the winter. I’d been riding, but no longer than 1.5 hours on the trainer and have been working mainly on aerobic base and skills, not speed. Most of my recent outdoor rides have either been of the mountain bike variety or with Altitude Multisport, getting members of the club through spring riding jitters.

Getting to the race was pretty simple. You do need to pay for entry into Cherry Creek State Park (or have a park pass). Or if you’re a bit more adventurous, you can park in a strip mall off of Parker Road and ride in for free. Parking was plentiful and it was a quick 3 minute pedal to the race start. Bib number pick-up was right next to the parking lot – you get one bib number for the entire series (so don’t destroy it). The bib gets pinned to your back right side.

Riding the course as a warm-up is not allowed. Loads of people brought their trainers (I admit, this was a bit intimidating). I opted to do a few out and backs along a park road that went along the swim beach that was not part of the course.

Being that this is a time trial, each person starts their race at a pre-designated time and starts individually. Racers have a 20 second gap before the next person departs. The key: be ON TIME or you’ll miss your race. There are no timing chips, so its important that you start at your designated time slot to keep the race running smoothly.

I showed up a bit early to watch the starting process. You approach the tent, a friendly person holds your back wheel securely, and you clip BOTH feet in (full disclosure, I didn’t like this and worried I’d fall over in my first RPM). They count you down and off you go for 9.5 miles.

start (1)The race itself was actually very peaceful. Its just you, riding as hard as you can sustain. I got passed (a bunch) but for the most part I was just constantly evaluating my effort. Can I pedal harder? Do I need to back off? Can I push just a bit more and have enough for the uphill finish? I ride out at Cherry Creek Reservoir often, so I had the advantage of having nearly every crack in the pavement memorized. The main issue tonight was the wind, but we all had to race in, which made for a level playing field. The course was nicely marked with arrows and volunteers so all I had to do was keep my head down and race.

I forgot my garmin at home so I raced purely by effort, which was actually kind of nice. No speed to register, no wondering if my heart rate was too high or too low. Just constant pedaling and checking in with myself. The finish line was a bit anticlimactic – I suppose I’m used to the hoopla from triathlons. This finish consisted of a person in a folding chair sitting on the side of the road and a piece of white tape adhered across the road about 100 feet down from him. Nothing to indicate a finish, which made me a bit paranoid (did I miss it?!?!) until I checked the map and assured myself that yes, I did finish. Results are available at the timing tent or in an email sent later on in the evening. I had a 0.4 mph PR, as compared to sprint triathlons I’ve done on the same course. It was kind of nice knowing I didn’t have to run after (although I may end up doing some brick runs later on in the series to get ready for some June sprint triathlons).

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As a bonus, I got to see this amazing sunset. This alone would make for a great reason to do this race series.

Now that I have a baseline and that I know what to expect, I’m excited to see how I progress across the 7 week race series. Stay tuned for a mid-series and final race update.

Thanks to 303 Cycling and KHMTT for the opportunity to race in this series!

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