Goat Hill Time Trials

So we finished up the Goat Hill time trials in Uxbridge this past Tuesday. All I can say if HOLY FRIGGIN' AWESOME. After three weeks of wet, cold, dreary trials at Grafton, Uxbridge was a welcome change. Course conditions were phenomenal all three weeks.

The course was a little different than last time I ran it this past fall. Not changing was the third of a mile climb to the starting line. By the time you get there, you're ready to turn around and go home.

Once you get to the start there's a quick fun section that's pretty flat and has a couple of nice air rocks. A quick right and a left and you're climbing again. 114' in a quarter mile.

After that there's a fun, rolling section that goes roughly forever. Some really fun drops that look huge on the approach, but have been engineered to roll beautifully. While the course rolls through this section, it's mostly downhill.

There's some new trail that was integrated and which was pretty soft the first week. Definitely firmed up very well by week three after getting all those tires on it. One of the really, um, different things about that new section was the back to back to back pits. These things are smack dab in the middle of the trail. The first you are able to roll into pretty well. Maybe it was 2' or 3' deep, 5' wide and 6' long. The second pit has a much steeper (think over the handlebars) entrance. It's bottom is covered by logs laid next to one another and the exit is pretty sharp as well. The third pit has a way around to the right (which I gladly took).

After you come out of the new stuff it's time to... CLIMB. 191' in 0.87 miles. You know it's coming when you see the evil faces laughing at you nailed to the trees. Once you get to the top of the climb you are rewarded with a good time. Just gotta turn left to catch some super sweet switchbacks traversing down the hill for the last mile of the course.

So the first week, not sure of exactly where I was going, I did the entire course as a pre-ride. Probably a mistake in retrospect. Even though the course was only about 4.75 miles, it is peppered with some serious climbing. The get your arse off your saddle and dig deep kind. I took it easy and finished the pre-ride in 39 minutes and change, but still felt like I burnt up a little too much. After a brief respite, I went back out and did my timed lap. Didn't feel as strong as I would have liked, but finished in 34:12. Good enough for 7th out of 18 finishers.

I came back for week two and felt great going out. Apparently everyone did. Vast improvements across the board. I went out with only warming up by climbing the hill to the start. I shaved 2:33 off coming it at 31:39. A couple of riders shaved over five minutes off. I took 5th out of 17, although Beaupre actually took first his first lap and third his second lap, so maybe that moves me up one slot. The one thing I know is that it makes me feel like Beaupre bugs me a little. Second time around he beat my first (fresh) lap by 2:39. Bastard.

The finale week, this past Tuesday, was again awesome conditions. And promise of a post-trial barbecue. Skipped the warm up again and went out and nailed a 31 flat. A couple of faster guys were back in the mix that weren't around week two though,so I only grabbed 7th of 21. Five riders sub-30 and Rick Nelson one second ahead of me.

After I finished the time trial I decided to go put some miles on before the barbecue began in preparation for the Glocester Grind this weekend. I did the entire ribbon candy trail and the stuff across 122. Saw Potter on my way out to do all this. She had just ridden her mountain bike on the road 50 minutes to the TT from Shrewsbury to Uxbridge. She went up and took 4th with 29:57, first time on the course. Then rode home. Potter's awesome (not a bastard like Beaupre).

I finished my night's riding with 14.6 miles. Super happy with that. The post-ride was loads of fun. Think I left the lot at 9 pm with a belly full of burgers, beans and franks, taco salad and cookies. Maybe a beer or two as well.

Next week off to Mendon Road for three weeks. Can't wait!