Recreational Reading

I was in a company sponsored racquetball tournament a number of years ago. Most of the players were from a group of folks who played on a somewhat regular basis, and from that group there was a clear alpha dog. He didn’t loose, though if he was feeling generous he might let you hang around for a while before mashing you. The tournament brought out a couple of unfamiliar players, including the head of the division. He played well, soundly besting some players who were from the regular playing group and some wondered what might happen when the final game came around.

When the division head was playing in the semifinal round of the tourney, I was watching with alpha from the group. The division head dispatched the other semifinalist with little difficulty; however, while he was playing alpha said, Oh, that’s to bad. and lost interest. He had seen something within the division head’s semifinal game that he could exploit and it was already over in his mind.

Sometime soon, I’m going to get the Giro back from getting fit at Hollywood. Jay moved some things around and addressed some position habits which needed correction. Once I get accustomed to the new position, it will be time to think about what kind of stuff I want to use in the construction of a TT bike. The more I think about actually dropping the cash for a TT specific rocket ship, the less comfortable with the idea I become. It’s not just spending the money, it’s the responsibility associated with spending the money. After all, what’s the point of having a fast, high tech bike if the rider sucks? Considering that I have a 21.8 effort at the Tuesday Night Time Trial series a couple years ago, how much faster would one expect to go given throwing money at the problem?

26?

27?

28?

Given that the local heavyweights produce speeds around 28 in that TT, that just doesn’t seem reasonable. So, what should one expect? On the side of going faster, there will be:

• Focused training on cycling speed and endurance
• Equipment improvements
• Position improvements
• Experience?

Is spending a thousand dollars per mile per hour improvement reasonable? (4K@4MPH) Would improving from the bottom third into the top third be enough? Top quarter? Top ten percent? If I don’t meet the expectation, will I be beating myself up over it? Will having the bike make me happier?

One thing is sure, it’ll be a beautiful bike. What I worry about it is some spectator saying, Oh, that’s to bad as I ride past. They would, of course, be lamenting for the bike.