The time trial is generally thought of as an individual endeavor.  Put 200 cyclists in a room together, 16 of them at one interval racing against both themselves and each other, and you have a whole different ball of wax.  On March 1, 2009, Landry’s Bicycles in Boston hosted the first annual Boston Triathlon Team Indoor Time Trial.  The cavernous spot on bustling Commonwealth Avenue was filled to the brim with sweaty riders, shouting (and jeering) fans, a garrulous commentator, pumping music, and slightly puzzled patrons who, had it not been for the event, would have otherwise shopped for bike stuff.

This would be the first “race” of the new season for the MetLife Pro-Am Cycling Team, and really, the first long distance threshold (read: VERY HARD) effort for most of the riders this year.  With mostly base miles in the legs, a 10K stationary time trial in a stuffy, crowded room with beer-sipping hipsters bouncing to techno music watching the sweat pour off the riders, was not ideal training.  But it was still a lot of fun.

Most of the team raced.   And all but one of them raced in the same heat, which meant that for 20 minutes, one side of the room was totally dominated by the blue, black, and white of the MetLife colors.  It was quite the spectacle.  Here’s how it worked:  stationary resistance trainers, known as Computrainers, were set up facing two large, classroom-style pull-down screens.  Data was projected up onto the screens from computers hooked up to the Computrainers.  Riders put their bikes in the Computrainers which simulated the topography of a realistic outdoor course through resistance.  The devices also measured the wattage, speed, and distance of the rider on the preset 10 kilometer course-in this case, 10K out from the finish of the Boston Marathon, which passes right in front of the shop.  Up to eight riders at a time per screen went head-to-head-to-head etc. for 10K, or 6.40 miles.  The first one to reach 10K in that particular heat won.  The person with the fastest time in reaching 10K, won the event.

The team did very well overall and Brad Sheehan took top spot for MetLife with a time of 17:43, nipping a leading Scott Dolmat-Connell by just over a second.  Brad looked to be, as teammate Nick Bennette often quips, “deep in the pain cave,” but was able to put his endurance to good use and come from behind.  Newbie Vinnie Scalia steadily powered his way across the line not too far beyond Scott’s time and Chris Coutu had a fantastic ride, definitely giving it everything he had, as seen in the picture above.  As for the rest of the guys, most were dreaming of the days ahead when the roads are clear and the air is warmer and a real time trial is at stake.  Stay tuned for those reports.  In all, a great event and a solid showing from MetLife to cap off a great training camp weekend.

Here’s a look at the 2009 MetLife Pro-Am Cycling Team (in jeans and khakis).  From top, left to right: Peter Bell, Chris Coutu, Scott Dolmat-Connell, Vinnie Scalia, Corey Masson, Tim Mitchell, Nick Bennette, Aaron Molloy, Ryan Fleming, Brad Sheehan, and Charles McCarthy.  Andrew Gardner is not pictured.