I did my final pre-Nats test today on a section of county highway B that Scott Latell and I used to train on. It’s a 10K stretch with no turns, no stop signs, and very little traffic. Despite my focus on the TT this season, today was my first time out there since last year. It was good to be back.

After a long and frustrating search for a valve extender (thanks for the rescue, Mark!), I finally pumped up my tires and got going. The plan was to do two out-and-back runs, the first as a warmup, and the second as a race simulation. The legs opened up nicely in the warmup, so I was eager to see what I could do with the governor removed.

I decided to target an average power of 325W – the amount I produced at last year’s state TT. For reference, I did 300W and 307W at my two 40K competitions this season (the Double Bong and the state championships). I’ve been feeling good lately, so I figured I’d see if the turbos were finally spooled up.

Due to the nature of the PowerTap computer, I wasn’t able to see the final numbers until I got home and downloaded the data. As it turns out, I did an average of 323W on the outbound leg and 325W on the inbound leg. Woo hoo! I figure that after a week of tapering, with a national championship on the line, I should be able to manage that sort of wattage over the full 38K of the race. My position on the bike is clearly more aerodynamic than it was last year, so it would appear that I’m as ready as I can be for next weekend. I hope the week goes by quickly and with no surprises.