More on the TitanFlex

OK, I was going to call this "Moron on the TitanFlex", but I guess you figured that out by now.

Thursday evening is Jonathan Jefferson's Beginner's Open-Water Swim (BOWS) clinic, and after nearly a year of attending, I'm still a regular there, since I'm still learning, though I now help other swimmers when I can (I'm not the newest newbie!). Normally, the BOWS is held at De Anza Cove, but this time it was to be held on Coronado at Glorietta Bay, to provide a preview of the swim portion of the next TCSD beginner's club race.

And being at Glorietta Bay meant I would also be right next to the Strand, an ideal place to get in a long, fast ride, which is the final element I wanted to work on during my TitanFlex demo. And I also wanted to check out the recent extensions to the bike path in Imperial Beach, so I planned to arrive about 2 hours before the BOWS to get in a longer ride.

I arrived plenty early, got on the bike, and just as I was getting started, I was immediately passed by a rider on a brand new Trek Madone 5.9 (suh-weet!). I got into a deeper aero position, geared up, and went in pursuit. While the other guy didn't seem to be trying too hard (though he did go into the drops now and then), I was having a difficult time catching him. I tried using a smoother, faster spin, and did the one-up/one-down drill to get a bit more speed. I was gaining only slowly, but at least I was gaining.

I finally caught the guy just before the light at the entrance to Loews Coronado, slightly over 3 miles from where I started. It was clear I hadn't fully recovered from all my recent riding. It was also clear I only had enough gas in the tank to make it back to Glorietta Bay. When I reached the light, I turned around and headed north. The only people I passed on the way back were on beach cruisers.

So, no long ride that evening. When the BOWS started, it was clear I was really tired, since even swimming was difficult (and I'm a strong swimmer, though not super-fast).

That's what I get for trying to do a thorough bike demo when I haven't been getting enough saddle time!

Friday was a rest and recovery day. We'll see if I can get a ride in Saturday, before I return the TitanFlex at 3PM.