Rider Highlight: Brian Darby wins team time trial championships

Name: Brian Darby
Event & Category: Victorian Club Teams Team Time Trial  Championship (Australia). Masters.
Brief event/course description: A rolling 37.6 km course with 232m of climbing.
How’d the race/event go down for you? It was a very windy day (30 km/hr with 45km/hr gusts) and it would be a crosswind for much of the race. Our team was a little excited at the start and our plan of smooth 45 second turns went out the window shortly after the start. I was feeling pretty strong which was nice but after 11km we lost one of our riders. Recovery is the premium in a TTT and when we went down to three riders, I wasn’t getting enough recovery so I had to sit in for a bit. The guys were flying up the climbs and I went to some pretty dark places just hanging on. Thankfully I was able to recover on one of the longer downhill sections and get back into the rotation for the last bit of the race. We crossed the line in 51:33 and thought we had a chance at the win. When the results were posted, we couldn’t believe that we won by 2:36— A good day on the bike for our team!
Which coach do you work with and how did your training help you prepare for the event? I’ve been working with Adam Mills for a number of years now. This event was on the calendar as part of a training plan for an upcoming stage race that also involves a time trial. My training over the last few months has been a steady diet of VO2 efforts and Over/Unders and they certainly helped with power output.
What advice do you have for someone up and coming in your cycling discipline? Do the hard work (intervals) and try to stay relaxed as your event approaches. If it’s a time trial, stick to your target powers early in the race no matter how good you feel then pour it on in the last few kilometers. Have fun!
Congrats Brian & Team! Best of luck at your next event! Check out some of the other successes Source Endurance athletes have had.