It's been one full day since the end of my first timed stage race. I've healed some of the wounds that I inflicted on my legs but it's going to be a while before everything is running at full steam. It was a tough 4 races over three days in Brookhaven, MS. I'm proud of my 11th place finish in the cat 3 race, but wished I could have done better in the overall standings.
Friday night was a rough and tumble crit full of lappings and being lapped. I don't know the wisdom of including a crit in a timed race but heck, if that's what they want that's what they get. From the gun it was fast. I've never started quick in any race but knew that I would have to that night. It was easily closing in on 30 for the first ten minutes. I thought about pulling out but then realized . . . well I don't think I had the time to complete any of my thoughts.
I along with a group of ten was lapped at about the 35 minute mark, after having lapped another group of about seven. I never thought I could be dropped twice in one race but I was. It was at that point in time that I lost some time to a few of the cat 3s who were able to hang on to the 1s and 2s in the lapping group.
Saturday was rough too. Some yo-yo decided to go from the gun. As I'm fumbling for the big ring he's dropping the hammer. I put myself into the red only to realize that I was the lantern rouge of the race and that there was nowhere to go but forward. After the first 18 mile lap things settled down. A break got away and an organized chase ensued with the Compliance Depot guys leading the charge.
The chase brought the race down to a manageable pace, but I could still tell that one particular section of road which included a long slow uphill would cause serious troubles if anyone ever decided to go hard up it. The nice thing about a 3 racing with 1s and 2s is that you know that all you have to do when the time comes is respond to the move.
That's exactly what I did. With about 5 km to go someone put in an effort up that section of road. I had been dropped there two years ago and was bound and determined not to be a victim this time around. I jumped onto Frank Bruer's wheel as it started to get nasty and just put my head down. I could feel the muscles in my legs ripping to pieces, but I was not going to lose that wheel. I looked back and the field was gone and I was the last man in the break. Too bad it was all for nothing because the field caught us half a mile later when people started playing around up front and it turned into a massive pack finish.
The TT was painful and I care not to talk about it. TTs are by far my weakest discipline, but on a positive note I finished in the middle of the 3s this time and got the sense that I am improving.
The last crit was hot and fast. It was built just the way I don't like it. I have some serious problems with courses that repeat power climbs and this one did just that. It isn't the climb that hurts me, but the fast descent that puts me down. I'm small enough to be able to climb with the power riders by spinning the heck out of things but when they switch into their 11s and 12s on the descent I don't have what it takes to respond as quickly as I need to.
At minute number 20 of 75 I dropped my water bottle. I had two water bottles and one of them just popped out of the cage when I hit a little pothole. I was in trouble when that happened. It was Bensenville all over again. This time I was too stubborn to quit. At minute 40 I started to get a couple of chills in the 85 degree heat. Minute 50 came and I noticed a few goosebumps developing on my arms. I stood up coming over the hill at minute 60 and the breeze nearly took my breath away because it was so cold. Thereafter I decided not to look at the clock anymore. I told myself just make it to the last lap and group finish to keep your 11th place hopes alive. That's all I wanted to do and that is what I did. It's sweet revenge for my failure at Bensenville to do the same.
Next Race: Athens Twilight and Roswell Criteriums
No comments:
Post a Comment