Charge Pond Training Series Road Race #2 Report

Same course, different weather. Temperature was around 40, but skies were cloudy and the air was damp with a rain shower that had just passed. It was a raw one and the warm-up was crucial. There were more racers in general today which made the pack faster. There were also some faster guys who drove the pace up at the front of the pack. There was a fellow-former BIKEMAN.com teammate in attendance as well. It would have been nice to work with him, but it was difficult to generate any team tactics. There were only a couple of attempts at a break this time, all getting reeled back in, once by yours truly, my only stint out front on the day. There was a carbon-copy single-rider crash on a 35 degree turn. Same thing happened last week, right in front of me. Luckily no one else got tangled up. I once again had an off-road experience getting pinched to the side and had to wade through a sandy shoulder, but made it out OK. I was well on my way to finishing strong with the lead group when on the 2-to-go lap I flatted. Hard to say how it happened, whether it was the off-road incident or debris. At least 2 others also flatted. So, I had to walk it to the finish instead of sprint.
Despite the disappointment in not being able to finish, the race was another great opportunity getting to know the bike. It is truly stiff on standing/out-of-the-corner sprints yet comfortable on the straights. It inspires confidence in handling, although in a pack 5-wide, anything can seem sketchy! I think the set-up is close to perfect at this point. Fitness-wise, I feel I’m riding within my ability and am competitive. The first true road-race is less than a month away, so it’s back to the training table.
Soon, I’ll start commenting on some of the components and their performance. The Garmin 305 is first on the list. It’s awesome!