35th/66 finishers
It was an inauspicious start to the race season. At this time last year, I had competed in at least a couple of road training races, which helped amp up my intensity, and worked on group riding. This pre-season has been spent more in the weight room and on a trainer, so I had no idea what to expect today. Of course deep down I was thinking I had a lot of pent up energy and was going to leave everyone in the dust! But, I was also realistic and knew the field had equal talent and aspirations so I should just be happy I was out riding! It was also my first outing as a Portland Velo Club racer and there were 2 other teammates attending. Finally, I have the luxury of having allies in the field.
Not quite beach weather or attire!
It was a glorious day on the coast: sunny but chilly with a negligible wind. I met up with Fred Thomas (club president) and Mike Claus and got the layout of the course. Turns out it was a fairly challenging one in my opinion. It had a short and must stand climb towards the finish, a nasty downhill S-turn, and a 45 degree turn. Tough start to the season riding in a group of guys overexerting themselves and averaging 24mph!
The race got underway at a decent pace. I tried to stay up front as much as possible and keep with Fred whom I feel is a top-notch rider. I got cycled back into the pack at some point and the next thing I know 2 separate groups had gotten away up front. Fred was up in the mix so I got my first lesson in being a teammate and not pressing the issue to reel the breakaway back in. There were a number of teams represented up front so the pack as a whole was not eager to work together. So, it ended up being a 24 mile race to a sprint finish for 12th place. I planned to be up front to at least make a good run at it, but there were 60 other guys with the same intention and I couldn’t maintain position. We rounded the 45 degree turn and hit the hill. I went pretty hard and then ran out of gas on the long straight to the line. 35th was exactly mid-pack. Although my hope for a strong finish were dashed, I went away satisfied with the effort and felt like I was competitive.
These are pics of the Pro field, but simulate our race: 10-man break, then the rest of the field coming up on the 45 degree turn.
I ended the day with a nice ride along the coast to Nahant where I used to visit as a kid. The scenery was great and overwhelmed the annoying traffic that surrounded me at all times.
Next race on the sked isn't until vicious doubleheader road races on 4/28-29.
No comments:
Post a Comment