Records and Rain Fall at Tour de Greenwich

Having grown up in Greenwich, this Sunday’s Tour de Greenwich was a fun rendezvous for me. Not since 2001 have I had a chance to take the start line for this local event, but after spending an evening with family just down the road from the race start, it was a nice cup of coffee and a brief ride to the start line on a drizzling, muggy morning. It was great to see so many familiar TARGETRAINING faces and other cycling friends joining me at the start.

This is a unique race as there are two distinct age group starts, 39 and under and 40+, so you may win your heat but not the overall. Thus, it is always advantageous to race fast from the start of the 20-mile rolling course if you are vying for the overall win.

With this in mind, I mounted my team issue Cannondale with ZIPP 808 wheels and a compact set of time trial bars to maximize my ability to push the pace in the race.
It took a few miles of the 20 mile course to shake myself of the rest of the field which left me with what became one long solo time trial effort on pristine, yet very slippery, back country roads. When all was said and done, I managed to win my heat and the overall by breaking my own course record by over a minute and finishing in a time of 46:32 with family waiting at the finish. What a nice way to spend a Sunday morning.