This past weekend Whole Wheel Velo Club was well represented at a variety of events both in and around the MABRA District.  While Peter “Hey, That’s My Wife” Warner and Tom “Ride Lots” Draffen took top honors at the Church Creek Time Trial, Melissa “Pete’s My B**ch” Tallent made a solid return to the triathlon circuit after a long injury hiatus and Chris “Buttah” Gould and Gus Grissom travelled down to North Carolina for the Road Race Championship Weekend.

At Church Creek Warner and Draffen took first and second place in their respective categories.  Warner rode the course in 57:23 to post the best time among the Cat 4’s.  Calling the event “a good mental test” he complained that his power data was not as consistent as he had expected but would help him prepare better for his next time trial.  Draffen, on the other hand, worried that his numbers were much lower than his previous best efforts.  The effort, however, was solid enough to put him in the second spot on the Cat 3 podium.  His self-assessment shows what he called a “very rookie mistake” in his ability to pace himself.  But, “all things considered … I have a great benchmark to work for the next eight weeks going into Church Creek #2.”  Yes, both Draffen and Warner are already looking forward to improving their times and distancing themselves even further from their competitors.

Melissa Tallent took her soigneur “Twinkle Pete” Custer to test her fitness at the Eagleman Half Ironman.  Though she was plagued by jellyfish stings on the swim, Tallent put in a solid effort on the bike, the longest effort she has had in recent memory due to her injuries over the winter, and “pulled sub 9:00 miles the whole way through, never blowing up, just steamrolling through the half-marathon.”  To understate the obvious challenges facing her, Tallent gave these words of wisdom: “I definitely recommend many more miles on the bike (and not breaking your pelvis) before you attempt this race.”

The master’s racing combo of Gould and Grissom took a road trip down to NC to participate in that state’s Road Race Championship Weekend.  Racing 80 miles on Saturday in the Master’s Championship and and additional 50 on Sunday in the Senior’s Championship, Grissom felt that he definitely got his money’s worth but was only able to get 15^th in the 35-39 category.  Gould, whose 40-44 age group raced  67 miles on Sunday found himself wishing he was a bit older.  When the results of the combined 40-44/45-49 field were posted he realized he would have taken second place in the 45-49 field but had to settle for his top-20 finish.  He plans to contest the details of his date of birth.

Overall it was a solid series of performances for Whole Wheelers in several disciplines.  As the summer begins heating up and big events like the Tour of Washington County approach, Whole Wheel Velo Club seems to be well poised to capitalize on a long early season of building fitness and gaining experience.