Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Ready

Didn't race on Sunday--dealing with job issues.

However, I feel ready for Trans Iowa. My legs, and the rest of my body, feel great. My gear is 90% ready to go. I have been doing short rides, about 17 miles, each day after work. Decent speeds have been attained at minimal effort.

What are my goals for TI?

1. Finish. I've never quite an endurance race, and I don't plan to start now.

2. Finish in around 27 hours. That was my time from last year, and even though the race is longer, I think I can match or beat that time.

3. Top 3 singlespeed. There are some very fast SS rides this year, but I am hoping that my experience with this race gives me something of an edge.

4. Stay for the awards ceremony. I will REALLY want to get home after this race, and I have like an eight-hour drive to get there. But I want some swag as well.

That's about it. Will it hurt? Yep. Am I worried about the weather? Nope. It will be what it will be. After TI v1 and Worlds 2005, I just don't care that much about the weather anymore.

I am looking forward to meeting the other racers on Friday. It is a 13-hour drive from GR to Hawarden, so I may be a little late getting to the pizza place. Except for Paddy. Riding a fixie for this race makes me wonder about that guy. Gotta keep an eye on him...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

wha???

13hrs...we're starting our tour South tomorrow night, that should get us in Hawarden by mid-day..looks like our date with destiny/RAIN is in the cards...see ya on Friday.

Danielle Musto said...

Good luck Joe. We'll be cheering for you from home. I'm sure Scott will have a few IPA's in your honor :-)

I agree with you about the rain. After Worlds, it doesn't scare me anymore. I didn't love the rain during Cohutta but it was pretty darn easy to ignore!

Carl Santiago said...

What happened Sunday? Job issues on Sunday?

Carl Santiago said...

What happened Sunday?