So apparently this has become an annual blog. You're welcome.
I had a double-header weekend. Saturday was the Bicisport Suffer Like a Dog Time Trial in Dog Pound (where else?). The 16.3km course is a hilly one. Going into the race having spent minimal time training on the Flying Scotsman and still trying to drop vacation weight (I can assure you it's a half-assed attempt) my sole goal was to beat last year's time on the same course. Coming in a minute faster than last year didn't translate into a great performance, but it was decent enough. Getting my first upgrade point of the season was even better. No, that's not a typo. Point is singular.
Heading into today's 83km Stampede Road Race back at the same location, the legs were burning but I was feeling ready to go. After a conversation with JVD yesterday about trying to make something happen in races rather than just sitting in and not really contributing, I had my most combative race of the season. A small break went on the uphill at the start of lap two but I didn't jump as I thought it would be brought back after going that early. Big mistake. So with a chasing group of about 10 or 12 guys, we started to pull back a few of the breakaway that fell off the pace. Unfortunately most of our chase group was content to sit in without doing any work. I've never pulled so much in a race. A few others started to contribute after my Bici teammate Noah told the group to start working, but it wasn't until one lap to go with the second group down to 9 guys that we started to see more rotation (I think this was as much a result of guys realizing we weren't catching the break and a focus on the sprint for minor placings). As we hit the uphill towards the finish line, I had to fight myself out of a box in and found some open road. Coming around 3 guys, I managed to get second in our mini-sprint. Having no idea how many had remained in the breakaway, I was happy to see I'd taken 8th. Another single upgrade point. So it looks like the legs are starting to come back after Europe. And that JVD guy kinda knows what he's talking about.
I had a double-header weekend. Saturday was the Bicisport Suffer Like a Dog Time Trial in Dog Pound (where else?). The 16.3km course is a hilly one. Going into the race having spent minimal time training on the Flying Scotsman and still trying to drop vacation weight (I can assure you it's a half-assed attempt) my sole goal was to beat last year's time on the same course. Coming in a minute faster than last year didn't translate into a great performance, but it was decent enough. Getting my first upgrade point of the season was even better. No, that's not a typo. Point is singular.
Heading into today's 83km Stampede Road Race back at the same location, the legs were burning but I was feeling ready to go. After a conversation with JVD yesterday about trying to make something happen in races rather than just sitting in and not really contributing, I had my most combative race of the season. A small break went on the uphill at the start of lap two but I didn't jump as I thought it would be brought back after going that early. Big mistake. So with a chasing group of about 10 or 12 guys, we started to pull back a few of the breakaway that fell off the pace. Unfortunately most of our chase group was content to sit in without doing any work. I've never pulled so much in a race. A few others started to contribute after my Bici teammate Noah told the group to start working, but it wasn't until one lap to go with the second group down to 9 guys that we started to see more rotation (I think this was as much a result of guys realizing we weren't catching the break and a focus on the sprint for minor placings). As we hit the uphill towards the finish line, I had to fight myself out of a box in and found some open road. Coming around 3 guys, I managed to get second in our mini-sprint. Having no idea how many had remained in the breakaway, I was happy to see I'd taken 8th. Another single upgrade point. So it looks like the legs are starting to come back after Europe. And that JVD guy kinda knows what he's talking about.
