Stage 3 Tour of the Gila

Juvéderm-Specialized-Mazda riding to the time trial course of the 2011 Tour of the Gila

Stage three was the 25km time trial.  It was a very windy and hilly course.  I decided to ride the race with little time-trial (TT) specific equipement.  I thought I would be more comfortable on my bike and get blown around less in the crosswinds.  (They picked up to 60mph by the end of the day!)  I saw the difference that the deep-dish wheels and full TT bikes made on the downhills however, where the girls blew by me.  I didn't have as much trouble keeping up on the uphill.

This was the first time trial I did with my Quarq powermeter.  I can really appreciate the extent to which following my power output during a TT can help me pace myself.  I'm looking forward to practicing working with this tool a bit more.  I really love my Quarq.

Photo: © Mitch Clinton

Congratulations to Denise Ramsden (in the picture above) who rode the fastest time in the U26 (Younger-than-26-years-old) category.  She now has the white jersey (best young, or U26 rider)!  I started several riders behind her and could see her passing girls in the distance.  It was impressive!  Clara Hughes won this stage by a whopping two minutes.  She now has the overall leader's jersey.  Good riding girls!