going out of my comfort zone

[bushwacka]

My goals have changed. 2013 MTB nationals in Bear Creek, Pa. more on that later

to reach those goals I have stepped out of my comfort zone and starting doing some TTs. On road bike vs a bunch of ti geeks on TT bikes. I have done well being the faster non areo bike every flat one and beating alot of people with aero stuff and let me tell you I am not aero. Visor helmet, MTB shoes and normal drop bars.

Yesterday I had my best finish so far with a 2nd on a 'climbing" TT. Its would be a Cat 2 climb if it was in the Tour. With out the aero advantage it came down to power to weight. My 180lb(heaviest in the field) was propelled up the hill by an average of 374 watts for 21 minutes. 2nd best power to weight and I got 2nd:).  TT is a great way to build FT power and I am getting close to the magical 5 watts per kilo for FT figure that it takes to ride at a Pro level in MTBing.

I know its a sweet blog, but I am stoked

[LivingProof]

Josh,

Best wishes in you competitive goals for the summer. I'm no expert on conditioning, but, stressing your body in road bike races has to be great way to get closer to peak performance. Is 180 your typical weight, somehow, I thought you were leaner?

Minor rant, I hate TT bikes, and, would limit Tri competition to traditional road bikes. My thinking is that the athlete is what's being measured and the use and cost of a extremely specialized bike with wheels, that performs like crap when not going straight, violates the intent of the competition. there are no excuses when running or swimming, but one can  buy their way to a better riding time. Each year, there is a tri race in our summer hometown and I love to watch the event. It scares the hell out of me to stand near a 90 degree turn and watch the TT's try to corner at speed, I've seen some bloody crashes. I applaud your use of a traditional bike.

Are your climbing TT conducted on straight roads?

[bushwacka]