Uhl’s big goal for the year was Master’s Nationals, which was held in Park City, UT. The TT for Master’s Nationals was held on Antelope Island. The Utah State TT was held on the same course as Master’s Nationals, so we made the trip down so Uhl could race the course. I did the TT on my road bike with aerobars and my PowerTap wheel; the power data indicated I was still sick. I had a distinct disadvantage without the aero bike and wheels.
I was the first Cat 1-3 woman to go off. The last man in the category before me left 2 min in front of me, so I didn’t have a rabbit. I asked Cindy Yorgason where the turnaround was; this turned out to be a vital question as several people missed the turnaround point. There was a harsh headwind out and a tailwind back. I tried to push the start and keep my power-up.
About ten minutes into the TT, I rounded a corner and there was a huge herd of bison crossing the road; they were cruising at a good clip. The rangers were standing next to their vehicle about 20 yards from where the bison were crossing. They told me that I could try getting through the bison, but they had babies so they might take me. I told them it was just a bike race and I would wait for the bison to cross the road. At this point I was wishing for my digital camera to take a photo of the bison; the babies are really cute. Catherine Dickson, who started 30 seconds behind me, caught me, and so did Karen Dodge who was one minute behind me. We all waited until the bison finished crossing the road. I took off quickly. The bison were running parallel to the road about 20 yards from the road. They ran quickly and for a bit, I was riding next to the herd of running bison. I kept hoping they wouldn’t perceive me as a threat and charge.
Catherine tried to pass me once, but I kept the pressure on and dropped her on the next climb. The course was rolling the entire time. I saw the 1km-to-go sign and then I passed the turn around by several feet before turning around. Karen and Catherine were close behind at the turnaround. I really kicked it up on the way back. As I approached the right turn to the finish, I got caught behind a motorcycle and had to slow down to get around him. I punched it to the finish. Karen Dodge won it in 52:17 and I was 2nd in 52:20. My power wasn’t that great. Uhl rode the Javelin TT bike and had a time of 49:26, which put him 6th in the Pro/1/2 field.