4 Man TTT 58.2km - 14 May 2006

Whew ... Hello everybody and welcome to the race of truth … The TIME TRIAL. This is the race race report for the race held on the 14-May 2006 on the N4 – Matola to Moamba and back.

The tifosi should have been out in full force. This weekend the tarmac was on fire at the TTT 58.2 Km. The longest Time Trial ever in Mozambique. Some of us thought it was not possible to fly for that long at intensity and that we would end up being a case for “aircraft crash investigation” on Discovery Channel. But I can assure you, that it was not to be because as soon as the first team set off, there was a heat wave between Matola and Moamba.

The signs were very clear “Caution very fast moving live humans on two wheels approaching, please keep clear.”

The teams were:

Team 1 = Ernest, Duncan, Carlos, Benny Machava

Team 2 = Imran, Jim, Messias

Team 3 = David, Jorge, Bill and by mutual agreement Zeca was placed into team 3 (arrived just after the teams were made up)

By mutual agreement Benny was excused from being part of the full team before the start, because he had never ridden a Time Trial before and didn’t even know what it was.

Teams were launched at 5 minutes intervals respectively beginning at 07:30. Luis Filipe was kind enough to see us off and chat a little bit with the riders before heading off to work.

The conditions turned out to be just fine for a TT effort with a NNW wind at 5.6km/hr. In other words, a head wind going out for 29.1km and a tail wind coming back.  

Most unfortunately, Team 3 ran into some trouble with one of the team mates, who pointed out the day before that he was short of form, but would certainly not miss out on the event. He fearlessly took on the challenge to the bitter end demonstrating that it was possible to average 33.3418km/hr in a Time Trial of close to 60km even if you hit the wall, a feat that very few riders are capable of doing. Team 3 kept working together to put in a credible time of  1:44:44. That was certainly an amazing time considering the unfortunate incident that had befallen them, but David, Alvaro (Zeca), Jorge and Bill performed the dance step to perfection.

Team 1 being the carrot of the day sensed that the odds were against them. But all they saw ahead of them was the open road and nothing in front was there to slow them down. They were flying. Word is that they were at the turn around after 53 min. These boys were on fire so much that when team 2 got to the 40km mark they found melted tar that caused a puncture in one the rider’s tyres (ok maybe that wasn't the reason). By now you are probably asking “What speed were they cruising at?” Well, with a team like Ernst, Duncan and Carlos you can pretty much guess that it was fassssst. 1:36:25 or 36.2178km/hr. I rest my case.

But the day belonged to team 2 made up of Imran, James and Messias, they reached the half way mark in a little over 51min. unfortunately with a little under 20km to go one rider had a flat while clocking 47km/hr. From the time of the flat to the time it took to sprint back up to speed it took 2min 40 sec. The flying squad was back in business. But clocking an average of 38km/hr was not going to be, too much time and impetus was lost. Team 2 won with a time of 1:35:48 averaging 36.4509 km/hr. Jim worked too hard that even his car was afraid to start when it was time head on home.

For those who wanted to whip themselves into shape real fast, well, if they rode this TTT their training program has now speeded up quite substantially.

The next event will be in June. It will be held in the city of Maputo. It will certainly be a big bash. The route will be unveiled very soon so that you can visit it. Your participation in this event will certainly lend a hand towards the publicity of the sport. Please make an effort to be present. Even if you do not complete the event … please try to start.

Here are the results of the TTT 58.2km and the General Classification after 6 events.

Oh, before I forget, I’d like to thank Salma (my wife) for being the time keeper.

I’d also like to ask riders on the G.C. who do not participate to at least help with the organising, it’s is the least you can do to help our sport get back on it’s feet. No miraculous support will come from outside. We who love the sport must pave the way for it.