Despite modifications to my tailfairing to allow better breathing along with some other small aerodynamic improvements I managed to go about 20 seconds slower in last Wednesday's TT. What's up with that? Mostly, I think racing three times in five weeks was too much even with the user-friendly closed position. Also, I was still sucking wind. Even with unrestricted airflow my lungs couldn't process enough oxygen to supply my legs. This is so out of the norm for me. In the open position I can pedal to my heart's content and not breathe heavy. In a fit of post-race disappointment/mania I made like Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon and took a hacksaw and utility knife to my trike. I lowered the seat all the way down to the frame and reshaped the tailfairing. If I can't feed the power then I might as well minimize the power requirement. I'll try and recover for the last race of the season on Oct. 3rd.

8/15 TT result

23:15 for a speed of 25.81mph. That's an improvement of 2.16mph from three weeks ago. I found out the hard way that I need to reshape my tailfairing behind my head. Since I don't wear a helmet or breathe very hard in training I didn't know I was restricted. A mile into the race I began to suffocate. I couldn't put my head back far enough to open my airway fully. When I tried my helmet would lift up off my head. Eventually I had to jettison it into a field. That improved things a bit but still I could have used more air. This is a new phenomena for me. In the old open position I could never develop enough power to tax my lungs (or heart). I went back to look for my helmet but I didn't find it. I wasn't too motivated to get it back. It was a nineteen year-old helmet. I'll have to make one now. I have a few more things to do to clean up the aerodynamics of my trike and with improved respiration I'm hopeful of eventually hitting 27mph. I heard some pings near the end of the race. It sounded like spokes. I could see the finish line in the distance and I was praying that if something was going blow it would wait until I posted a time. I would hate to do all of that work for nothing. The next 10mi. TT is in two weeks. Before this last race I was considering backing off for a while and just doing easy rides as I'm starting to feel extra tiredness creeping in. Afterwards, though, I'm thinking of giving it a go. Maybe that will change when the post-race funk hits (probably this afternoon).

more trike mods

I rotated my body position back about ten degrees, raising the bottom bracket into a more aerodynamically desirable position. This new position is very similar to what I'll have in my Quest. I built a proper racing tailfairing and made front wheel covers. I should go faster. Next race is the Putah Creek TT on August 15th. One thing I really like about the closed position on a recumbent is it allows me to train harder, more frequently and race more often. This is due, I'm fairly certain, to the emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings which for me are predominantly slow-twitch as opposed to my quads which are emphasized in the open position. Also, it's so much nicer riding around with my head oriented in the position it was designed to operate. It's a win-win. The only down side is aerodynamics but that's what tailfairings are for.