Flanders TT 2014

This was a last minute add for me, as originally this great event did not fit into my schedule.  When my day opened up, I jumped at the chance to participate in one of my favorite TT courses around.

The weather was amazing, and there was a good buzz, both literally and figuratively as the racers warmed up on their trainers in the parking lot.  I hit the line ready to go and was looking forward the challenges that this event brings.  The course begins on a nice, albeit bumpy, flat road, then you turn towards "the hill."  Naughtright looms like a wall in front of you, but after the initial punch, it climbs fairly steady for a while.  Then, once up top of Schooley's Ridge, you tackle one more little roller, a decent flat section, and then bang a hard right onto River Road.  You lose all the elevation gained on this road, although over a longer distance than Naughtright.  However, speeds still creep up over 40 MPH even on standard road bikes, as TT rigs are not permitted.  Finally, you sweep onto Bartley-Flanders Road for the finishing home straight on this pancake flat section.  The course is about 11 miles long with almost 800' of gain.

I had a good run and caught several riders.  Andreas R. smoked the course again and took home another victory in 35+, catching me about 2/3 of the way through.  I was also passed by the winner and I believe fastest time of the day by a rider in the Senior Men Category.  My time put me in 3rd place for the fourth time in the four races I competed in the NJ TT Cup this year.  These four consistent results actually put me into 5th overall which was a little bonus, as I wasn't pursuing the cup this year.


BJL Coaching's Kevin E. had another good day on the bike, finishing just outside the top 10 in 12th place.  This jumped him up to 11th place in the Cup for the Men 4/5 division for his first year in competition.  Nice work, Kevin!


If you've never done a TT and you're looking for help, shoot me a message!