Certificated.

My SRM power meter arrived in the mail the other day. I sent it in after realizing the batteries were probably due for replacement, and I really wanted to get a solid baseline. After all, if you're going to use the gold-standard of bicycle power meters, you might want to make sure it's not made out of tin. A couple turns of the wrench had it back on the time trial bike, and a quick zero offset showed it had not changed dramatically during the calibration. This was good news, since battery life was issue it was sent in for, not stability.

After a couple weeks at the Dome on the road bike riding a combination of TT and sprint efforts with questionable success (not that I didn't enjoy it while I was there), it was time to get back on the TT bike. The plan is to get some hours on the frame to make myself more comfortable in that position, so maybe I won't lose so much time in stage races during time trials. Just keep me in the mix.
 
After a week of abusing myself contrary to Janice's dictates, I was pretty worn out. I hammered when I should have taken it easy, so I was flat when I should have hammered. Still, I gave it a shot. I'm still not comfortable for extended periods on the aerobars, especially when in team time trial mode like we ride at the Dome. The grippy surface can translate the smallest steering input immediately, and when you're sitting third wheel reaction time can be reduced significantly. Plus, sitting up on the bullhorns allows me to push more wattage to overcome the wind without dropping out of the line. It's training, not a race, so working harder is actually a good thing. I could certainly drop off the line completely, but sometimes the other riders push me to go harder than my feeble resolve would otherwise permit. Hold on for another lap. Never let them see you give up.
 
The SRM was rock-solid, confirming that the old batteries had done their stint and were ready for rotation. I still don't have enough time on the power meter to see any differences between it and my Quarqs, but I really don't expect to.
 
I really need to hit the Dome fresher and with a clearer plan for what I want to accomplish. So far the sessions have been affected by a week's worth of fatigue, and I haven't had that much in the tank. Short burst of power are all I have left, not the sustained diesel I need to build.
 
We still have a lot of winter left, and I hope to get there.

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