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Saturday, April 12, 2008

Spring Classic Day #1

Day #1: Today I woke up at 6:00am so I could get out to help set up for the race. My team is promoting the race so I've got to help out. I jumped into the car to go get Scott and noticed that it was snowing, yep 32 degrees and snowing, made me even more unmotivated to race. By time we got to the race site it had stopped snowing but it was still cold and the wind was now blowing 25 to 30 mph out of the north, Brrrrrrr.
As for the race, I did the 123's instead of the masters, why? Becasue I'm a team kind of guy and most of the team is doing the 123's. So the race started and right off the bat a group rolls off the front. None of my teammates are in the group but Jay makes the group. 6 riders and 30+ mph winds I figured they would be coming back. Soooo, we hit the tailwind section and I decide to roll off the front of the group, they let me go and I manage to get out there in no man's land. So I ease up to wait for the group and here comes a group of 5 up to meet me. Kevin's in the group so now we have 2 in the chase group.
Now you would think this would be good but we hit the cross wind and my legs are dead. I mean when I take a pull I barely make it back into the draft. So I sit in and hope to recover. By the 2nd lap I'm not getting any better, in fact, now I'm starting to feel like legs are going to cramp. Lot's of GU and water and I'm still just hanging on the back.
Lap three and the lead group is down to 2 and our group is up to 6, we get the gap down to 60 seconds and the two lead riders have teammates in our break and they stop working so the gap quickly grows.
The last two laps are pretty uneventful as I'm fighting off cramps but the guys in our group are not attacking me since I've told them I won't sprint. It's so frustrating to just have to sit on but I have to do what it takes to stay in the break as I'm in the money in the 123 race, and the bonus for the 3's.
In the end Kevin ends up 5th, I'm 8th, and I think Troy was 10th. I ended up the 3rd cat 3 across the line. Overall it was a extremely frustrating day as I know what to do in the races but the legs just won't go. But, tomorrows another race and it is only April. No pic's today as I was just too cold but I should get some tomorrow. (not that it won't be cold tomorrow)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

nice race report, good luck today!

Anonymous said...

A few of us opted to travel South to Tulsa for racing...65 degrees and sunny. Ummm Goood. -shadd