Well, that might have been the easy way out. However, after bailing on the Single Bong 20K due to weather, I didn't want to wimp out again because it was "too cold". That's right. If I could go swimming in sub-freezing temperatures, I sure could handle some cooler spring weather.
Leading up to the weekend, I was actually pretty excited for the MATTS Harvard 30K. It's one of my favorite courses and I always seem to do pretty well there. My enthusiasm dropped a little each time I looked at the weather forecast and it hit rock bottom the minute I got to the race. I was already cold from drinking Gatorade that had been sitting in my trunk. Not a smart thing when you want to stay warm. I went through my normal pre-race routine, but I had a hard time getting warm and staying focused. Thankfully, the race was running behind so I was able to warm-up a few extra minutes. I actually missed my scheduled start due to some clock confusion, but I was able to sneak into an empty slot a few minutes later.
My plan for the 10-15 MPH WNW wind was to push it the first half of the race and see what I had left in the gas tank on the trip home. Compared to the previous week, my legs were feeling much better but not 100%. Unfortunately, I didn't have the same mental focus like I had at Sugar Grove. The first half of the race actually seemed to take longer than it normally does. This was probably due to fighting the wind and lack of mental focus. After looping back to head home, I felt much better with the tailwind. I finally got a little rhythm going, but started to mentally lose it the last 6 miles. I noticed myself drifting onto the shoulder a few times. It was kind of weird, since my legs felt pretty good. I dropped the hammer the last 1000 m and was really out of my element. I think I covered the last kilometer at about 31 MPH and was completely dead at the end mentally.
My effort was good enough for fourth place in Cat 4. Not bad considering I wasn't into this race. My average speed and wattage were down from the previous week, but I wasn't too disappointed. Many of the riders I talked too really struggled. Ironically, there were some riders who still had a great race. I'm learning how much of time trialing is really the mental challenge, not just the physical. Each race is a battle and some days you win and others you regroup to fight another day. And it's only April, so there's plenty of time left to hit the snooze.
BTW, anytime you get a chance to ride the Harvard TT course, do so. It's got a nice starting area, corners are well-marked, and there's always the lure of ice cream from Illinois's dairy capitol [snickers from this Wisconsin native].