Well, the four-person time trial was yesterday. I felt good - I'd decided not to do the State RR to save my legs and didn't overdo on the team ride. I spent a significant part of Saturday resting and stretching and preparing by bike and all my race stuff. I was ready.

Our start time was 10:19. Julia and I got there about 8:20 am, thinking we could drive the course first. But there was a thick, enveloping fog in Utica - visibility was 20 feet, tops. The organizers delayed the race start for a half hour. And then another half hour. Heidi and Eileen and the other xXx women's teams arrived. Our crazy, custom skinsuits arrived. We relaxed for a while and then got ready to race.


Actually we probably relaxed too long. We didn't start our warmup until 10:50. My legs felt great, we were working well together. We practiced a couple turns. I glanced at my watch, it was 11:05 - definitely time to turn around and get to the start line. And then I flatted. I was riding tubulars and had nothing with me to fix the flat.

I fell off our paceline and started to run back towards the race start with my bike. My teammates said they'd get our start time pushed back and come get me in the car. I told them I'd try and flag down a car and get a ride.

We were a couple miles out. I walked and walked, walked right through our start time. No one came to pick me up. I knew they'd had to start without me. I was SO disappointed. I finally got a nice guy with a big pickup truck to give me a lift. I got to the start line 25 minutes late.

My teammate Noelle lent me her spare wheel - right before HER TTT team went off. I started right after them. I was there, might as well get in a good training ride. I took the beginning relatively slowly - no reason to really push - but as I rode, I formulated goals for myself and rode harder and harder. I actually passed a couple teams (who must have had something going on to be going so slowly). I ended up averaging just over 21 mph for the 60k - not terrible for a training ride. That finishing stretch was just as interminable as I remember.

My team took third. I'm proud of them, but so disappointed I didn't get to race with them.