The brief dip in temperatures last week finally motivated to train last week, even if it was inside on the trainer. Thursday and Friday were good steady workouts. Saturday we were in Columbia and knocked out 68 miles. Three days of training like that concerned me a little, considering my recent training level. Would my legs respond at Sunday's race?
Sunday's race at St Vincent park was a new venue. When I drove by the park last week after work it seemed to have the potential for a nice course. I think it lived up to its potential. It had a little bit of climbing, a fast descent, a paved section for a change. The course could have been a little more technical and the opportunity for a proper paved start was passed up but those are not big deals. We had a good turnout. Better than last year it seemed. Hopefully, that turnout continues if/when the weather turns a little more sour.
We did start on a dirt section and it looked like a buffalo stampede as a huge cloud of dust was kicked up by the bikes. Not a pleasant experience for the folks that started mid-pack and back. My fears were realized when the race started and my legs did not respond at all. There was no strength and I went backward faster than an eight man skull rowing team. One rider after another went streaming by. My morale sunk with each rider and near the end of the second lap I seriously considered quitting.
Then something changed. My speed didn't seem to change but those guys that went past me before, began to slip backwards themselves and I worked my forward. The legs began feeling better. Eventually I settled into a nice battle with James, Jose and Dent Wizard's Heffernan. Looking back, I should have made them work more. I faded slightly in the last 4 or so laps as my lower back began to suffer as usual.
After the race, I looked at the results and saw my name in 17th. That seemed low but I was unsure. Then I saw Ralph in 4th and began questioning the results. Turned out that 4th-7th were lapped riders. So, I finished in 13th. Not great but not awful considering how I started. The first race is out of the way now and maybe I can learn from some mistakes.
Sunday's race at St Vincent park was a new venue. When I drove by the park last week after work it seemed to have the potential for a nice course. I think it lived up to its potential. It had a little bit of climbing, a fast descent, a paved section for a change. The course could have been a little more technical and the opportunity for a proper paved start was passed up but those are not big deals. We had a good turnout. Better than last year it seemed. Hopefully, that turnout continues if/when the weather turns a little more sour.
We did start on a dirt section and it looked like a buffalo stampede as a huge cloud of dust was kicked up by the bikes. Not a pleasant experience for the folks that started mid-pack and back. My fears were realized when the race started and my legs did not respond at all. There was no strength and I went backward faster than an eight man skull rowing team. One rider after another went streaming by. My morale sunk with each rider and near the end of the second lap I seriously considered quitting.
Then something changed. My speed didn't seem to change but those guys that went past me before, began to slip backwards themselves and I worked my forward. The legs began feeling better. Eventually I settled into a nice battle with James, Jose and Dent Wizard's Heffernan. Looking back, I should have made them work more. I faded slightly in the last 4 or so laps as my lower back began to suffer as usual.
After the race, I looked at the results and saw my name in 17th. That seemed low but I was unsure. Then I saw Ralph in 4th and began questioning the results. Turned out that 4th-7th were lapped riders. So, I finished in 13th. Not great but not awful considering how I started. The first race is out of the way now and maybe I can learn from some mistakes.
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