LBC 2005 Time Trial Results

Round 1 April 7, 2005 (World Health Day)
The return of the LBC Time Trial Series lured 9 riders out to test gauge their fitness at the beginning of the season. Threatening skies and windy conditions couldn't hold this bunch back. The "leader" sized up the competitors in an effort to rank the starting positions and avoid riders being overtaken on course. Thankfully, all riders returned in the order they departed. Most were breathing hard and all were hammering the final 200 meters to the start-finish line in order to save precious seconds. No on-course incidents were reported. Neil Crone completed the course on foot. Unfortunately he departed before the timing gear was in place so no time was reported.

Round 2 June 9, 2005
Fourteen riders turned out for the second installment of the LBC Time Trial Series. A light rain started around 6. By 6:30 the group could no longer be contained and the TT riders took their starts in a light rain onto a wet course. The wet conditions didn't appear to hold anyone back as all returning riders improved their times from April. Congratulations go to Peter Shenk who not only trimmed over a minute and a half from his April time to claim the "Most Improved" honors, but also held off a hard-charging Nelson Crone and posted the fastest time of the day. Todd Walter gets honorable mention with his 1:22 improvement from April. Eileen produced a copy of the September 1992 time trial results posted in the October 1992 Pedaller which show that Andy Null completed a similar course in 13:01. Until someone can produce evidence to the contrary, this time will be used as the course record. Of course, you can always come out and try to set a new record.

Round 3 July 14, 2005
The LBC Time Trial series is gaining in popularity. Showers earlier in the day gave way to a perfect evening for the event. Fifteen riders showed up to test themselves against the clock. Steve Mazeski even brought along his own cheering section. Brooke and Savannah Mead used the expansive Vo-Tech parking to sharpen their bike and trike skills while Andrew timed the riders. Tomorrow's TT challengers? Perhaps. Nelson Crone served as "official" photographer for the event. Look out Graham Watson! The heat seemed to affect the younger riders more dramatically as last month's speedsters turned in slightly slower times. Most improved time honors go to Ken Shippey and Dan Becker who managed to trim 40 seconds from their times. Neil Crone finally showed up with his bike along with his running shoes and claimed the fastest time of the day with a blistering 13:43.5 time. Thanks to all.

Round 4 August 4, 2005
A record number of riders turned out to challenge the clock on the hottest day of the summer (so far). A few riders from the Thursday evening A ride stopped by to try a hot lap, literally. Neil Crone set the fastest time of the day using a super-trick aero helmet designed by Nelson Crone after an exhaustive wind testing campaign. Congratulations to Matt Bomberger who bested his previous time by 50 seconds to capture the most improved award on an evening when matching a previous time was a significant accomplishment. Thanks to all who came out to participate, help, watch, and cheer. Special thanks to Curtis Palmer, Damon Schlott, Ken Shippey, and John Donati for their course marshalling assistance.

Round 5 September 8, 2005
Twelve riders rode against the clock in the final round of the 2005 LBC Time Trial series. Evening temperatures were ideal, but a persistent wind challenged riders on the back portion of the course. Andy Smith captured both the fastest time of the day and most improvement honors. Neil didn't start this final round due to an upcoming marathon. Of course he did run the circuit earlier in the evening after running over from his house. No time was recorded for his run. Ken Stadden provided the déjà vu moment of the evening when pulled his cleat out of a pedal right off the line. He recovered quickly and finished in the thick of the competitive (and growing thanks to first-timers Ken, Bob, and Carl) Men 50 & Over category. A schedule conflict kept Todd Walter from riding on the 8th so he took an unofficial hot lap with Dan Becker earlier in the week. Word has it he ran a lap in 14:36.

The evening was enjoyable and incident free. I would like to thank all who participated and or helped during the year. Your participation made the time trials possible and enjoyable each month. Special thanks go to Neil Crone for assisting me with timekeeping and steadying the riders at the starting line.

Plans are already in the works for the 2006 LBC Time Trial Series. The series will run monthly beginning in May and continuing thru September. The dates have not been set, but may continue on the 2nd Thursday of the month unless I receive overwhelming requests for change or a standing conflict arises in my calendar. Be sure to watch your April 2006 Pedaller for details.

Andrew Mead