LBC 2010 Time Trial Series
We
had perfect weather-- warm but not
hot, little wind-- for the final
time trial of the year on Thursday,
September 2 at Brownstown Vo-Tech.
This
was the first year without the
physical presence of former club
president and TT godfather Andrew
Mead, who nonetheless kept tabs from
afar and provided valuable guidance
whenever we asked for it.
Of 34
total riders, 4 were newcomers to
the time trial. Far from being
burned out by September, fifteen
riders set their best time of the
year and would receive the coveted
BTOY award, if we gave such an
award. Four riders managed to make
it to all five time trials, and one
of those, Albert Stauffer, improved
his time at every event. Eight women
showed up to test their fitness in
2010, riding in decidedly non-wimpy
fashion.
It's
always fun to watch the fast guys
ride, and this year Ken Wareham set
fast time at 14:55. Another
speedball, Bart Torre, Jr. did
a 15:07 in his first attempt without
any aero equipment. We hope to see
him back next year. Matt
Dishart managed a 15:06 in
September, and was the first guy to
set times in the 14s, which he did
twice in 2009. Manny Caliz did a
15:06 this year, joining this rather
exclusive club.
We
called for more volunteers to cover
the corners this month, and the
response was gratifying, especially
from tired riders from heat one who
could have left but who stuck around
to go out on the course to help out
the heat two riders.
Afterward, many riders told me they
appreciated the strong support
out on the course. A big
THANK YOU to everyone who helped in
this way. This is a crucial service
to your fellow riders, and a will be
an important part of any time trials
we hold in the future.
Thanks to Robin Smith for assistance
with signup, seeding and scoring,
Matt Bomberger for peerless
stopwatching, Paul Stadden for
backup timing, and especially to
Neil Crone for always being there to
steady our bikes and launch us
toward our dream of setting a new
personal land speed record. Also
thanks to Peg Saunders and Tim Good
for helping to handle time trials
earlier in the season. And
thanks to every single rider who
showed up to test himself or
herself, even if only once.
Perhaps we'll want to do it all over
again in 2011, eh?
-Ken
Stadden
