It's been a while

The last true, timed stage race I did was in 2007. I did three of them that year - Lincoln, Beatrice and Omaha - and haven't done any since.

The last three-race, two-day weekend I did was in 2008. In 2009 I was a bit dinged up. In 2010 I was even less dinged up, but still wasn't good to go.

This year, I'm not dinged up - just slow. But I'm digging out all of the stage race goodies for this weekend's action: TT helmet, aero booties, work stand, tool box, cooler. The 'ol Camry will be pretty full.

For the first time, I'll have an actual TT bike to ride. Kevin Burke's old Trek Equinox 9 came my way via trade (he has my Felt frame) and it's built up with a mix of Ultegra and Force bits. I'll be rocking the new Shimano RS80 C50 carbon wheels, too. That should be interesting.

Here's what I expect: It'll be chilly, windy and probably pretty uncomfortable. Results? No idea. I guess we'll find out.