Rode the Cycling Classic again this year – it’s timed, but not in a typical fashion. They open the course at 7am and you’re charged with doing as many laps as you can before 10:10am, where they call last lap and clear the course.
Last year I’d done it with a Garmin which I’d reset and not properly set up, so I was concerned about finishing the six laps in time. Turns out I did well, averaging 19.5 mph and getting my six laps in with forty minutes to spare. Could have done another one (time) if I had the energy (which I didn’t).
The course was different this year, and seemed a bit harder to me. Bit more climbing and while they eliminated a crazy 90 degree turn at the bottom of a hill, we had more climbing and lap times were about the same despite being shorter.
It’s a bit different for me to go >2:50 without stopping, so it’s certainly a bit of an endurance game! Do plan to keep doing it, even if it wipes me out for a bit.
