Only time will tell if time trial decides race

One by one, a line of school children stepped up to Tom Zirbel and turned around. And the native Iowan politely obliged as he scrawled his name with a felt-tipped pen just below the neckline on the back side of their shirts.

Zirbel was a star attraction as he stood outside his Bissell Pro Cycling team motor coach parked behind the Valle Elementary School before the start of Tuesday's second stage of the Tour of Missouri.

It was a far cry from the attention he once received while running cross country for Division III Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Zirbel, who abandoned cross country due to injuries and turned to cycling, chuckled when asked how many autograph requests he received while running for the Knights.

"This has been awesome," said Zirbel, a 30-year-old rider who turned pro at age 26. "I never expected to go this far with it. I've just improved a little by little every year and am working hard."

Zirbel saw his chances hold steady Tuesday when he finished in the peloton for the second straight day and came away with the same time as the rest of the field. It was two days gone in the race, and his specialty still was ahead.

"At this point we're just looking to stay out of trouble and finish on bunched time," Zirbel said.

In a sport that has event specialties, Zirbel is a time trial racer, and it's an event that could decide the race in Friday's fifth stage, a 19-mile race at the state fairgrounds in Sedalia, Mo.

Last year's race was decided in the time trial portion, when eventual champion Christian Vande Velde distanced himself from the field.

"It's hilly, but there's no real big climbs, so the time trial will definitely be main in deciding the overall classification," said Ryan Roth of the Planet Energy team.

In the first two stages, Britain's Mark Cavendish has used his superior sprinting ability to move to the front of the pack in the final meters and finish first. The two stage victories only have netted a 10-second overall lead for Cavendish. The relatively flat terrain has not allowed the field to separate, and the course in general does not favor mountain riders. That leaves the breed of time-trial cyclists like Zirbel, who finished second at the U.S. Pro time trials the past two years, as possible candidates to distinguish themselves in Friday's time trial.

"He's definitely one of the best time trialers in the race," Roth said.

"There are so many big teams here," Zirbel said. "I'm certainly not the favorite. It's possible, but there is so much race left."

Davide Frattini of Colavita/Sutter Home also thought the time trial will be a big factor.

"We have some good time trial guys on the team," Frattini said. "The teams from Europe, like Columbia and Garmin, have strong time trialers. We have Anthony Colby and Tyler Wren."

Garmin-Slipstream has the likes of David Zabriskie, the four-time defending U.S. Pro time trial champion.

Gregory Rast of Astana also predicted Friday as the day of truth.

"There will be a new leader, then the leading team will take control of the last day," Rast said. "To me, I don't care. I know the time trials are ahead. I know I will lose 3 or 4 minutes in the time trial. I will try to go on breakaways and help the leaders."

Rast said Levi Leipheimer and Janez Brajkovic are two of his team's top time-trial riders. It's an elusive skill that some use to pick up precious time, and where leaders can falter.

"I want to know the same, because I cannot do it," Rast said of the secret to time-trial racing.

Cyclists who excel in mountain stages usually tend to have lightweight physiques so they don't have to haul as much weight up hills. A sprinter might be able to get away with a few more pounds.

"It's so specialized that sprinters can go really hard for like 20 seconds," Zirbel said. "They're fast, but they draft for like 99 percent of the race and then sprint at the end. Where I'm really good at like a 20-minute effort. So I can go really fast for like 20 minutes."

Zirbel is giant among cyclists at 6 foot 4 and nearly 200 pounds.

That size can be a detriment in some situations.

"But that's why in time trials I have more power," Zirbel said.

"Everyone has different builds and different body types and lean toward different skills," Roth said. "We have a pretty good balance. We have three guys who can mix it up pretty well on the sprints, and we have three guys who are maybe more for the overall and two more guys that can help in other ways."

In time trials, riders use special bikes and are sent out at one-minute intervals and race against the clock. There is no drafting, and it's solely rider against the clock.

"Whoever goes the fastest for 19 miles is the winner," Zirbel said.

And possibly the winner of the Tour of Missouri.