The Team Time Trial is perhaps the most elegant discipline in cycling. It is also one of the most difficult and painful events. The TTT at Nationals saw Nathan Coleman, Toby Weatherall, Ryan Bloom, and Cliff Smoot line up fully equipped in aerodynamic kit, and indeed, Hopkins came to the line looking the part. The course consisted of 12 windswept miles of Kansas state highway with two turnarounds and a formidable hill several miles in. The winning team would average around 30mph, and technique would be essential in this race against the clock: quick turns on the front of the paceline, with changes indicated by a nod of the head; smooth, consistent pulls, careful not to put undue pressure on the squad by surging; lots of communication and encouragement, and whatever else it might take to maintain the fluid rotation of the team. Passing the commentator at the halfway point, he sounded surprised about something. Maybe how good we looked.
Hopkins had a respectable ride, given it was this squad's first appearance on the national stage. The team turned out a fast tempo, working smoothly together over the challenging course. Cliff suffered from an unlucky mechanical (rear brakes rubbing) less than two minutes into the race, leaving the three-man Hopkins squad at a significant disadvantage against squads pumping away with four-man rotations. Nevertheless, with heartrates exceeding 200 BPM, the team gave the race everything it had. The first three miles dragged into a headwind, up and over the hill, and eventually through the first turnaround; the next six miles saw a quick descent at speeds exceeding 42mph and a smooth, fast stretch past the halfway point. Through the second turnaround the squad faced the wind again, grinding out the last few miles and hitting the line at 25:27.7. Seconds after the finish Bloomer puked -- on his arm, his leg, his bike -- showing the crowds just how hard he had ridden. Stunning.
To race at a national championship is an opportunity that few get to experience, and it was made possible (particularly in my case) by the generous contributions of our sponsors. I would personally like to thank Mr. John Hostetter for helping me get to Nationals, and on behalf of the Hopkins squad, I'd also like to thank all of our sponsors -- those who help us get to the races and those who help us go fast. You can all rest assured that we will all be training hard, and expect even greater things from Hopkins in the upcoming seasons.
Division II Results
1 WWU Cycling 23.46
2 Princeton 24.00
3 Univ Of Denver Cycling 24.21
4 Colorado College 24.32
5 Cumberland Univ 24.43
6 Dartmouth College 24.48
7 Furman University 24.57
8 Appalachian State 24.57
9 Whitman College Cycling 25.00
10 MIT Cycling 25.03
11 Mesa State 25.09
12 Bucknell Cycling 25.14
13 Notre Dame Cycling 25.19
14 De Pauw U Cycling 25.27
16 Yale University 25.54
17 US Air Force Academy 26.07
18 St. Olaf 26.39
19 USMA Cycling Team 27.08
Thanks to Jason O. Watson, Photographs 2 and 3. Results from www.cyclingnews.com.