Since Apple Pie Crit… I’ve had some unremarkable results:
Wente RR E3- DNF
Wente Crit E3- crashed
Tues Night Track- p123- 6th (?)
Dash for Cash Crit E3- 16th, & p123- DNF
Mendes Crit E3- 26th
which brings me to Saturday’s CCCX races in Monterey.
6/25/11
CCCX- E3 (9th) & P123 (DNP)
No teammates-
This course is a beast and even though both the races (E3 & p123) are 1.5hrs or less, they still HURT. The course is rolling and has a few short, punchy hills with one fast descent before the final uphill. I usually do well at uphill finishes.
I had put in a long hard tempo ride last Saturday (Moraga Loop + HOP) mainly because my endurance was lacking and I didn’t want to waste the long drive to CCCX. This proved to be a smart training move.
After probably one of my worst racing seasons, I was determined not to keep up mediocre results so I just jumped and broke away from the group on the first series of rollers hoping to lure someone with me but instead, it served to whittle down the numbers in the pack. I sat up when the group caught me and rested as much as I could. Falling in the back of the pack, I realized that a small break went off the front. I motored up the side not caring if it would kill me just to catch them… “relief will come, it will come” I promised my legs. Sure enough, four other riders tagged along with me to chase down what appeared to be 6 others in the front. I recognized the winner from Mendes Crit, Jimmy Pham of Taleo, and alarm bells went off (figure of speech, just go along with me)—so along with Eliot Logan (ex-teammate, Webcor) and I pulled the small group along to the six. We made it to them but we lost Eliot when the rollers came again.
After racing hard and doing some rotation pulls & looking back, we couldn’t really see anyone in our rearview so it mellowed out a bit. My legs were seizing up, a sign of my lack of endurance training so I just soft-pedaled and spinned as much as I could. Coming up the last descent to the final uphill, I cramped and limped across 9th of the 10 in our breakaway pack. Finally, a decent top ten on the road for this year… let’s see it if it’s the tipping point for the season.
P123? Ha, with only 15 minutes to breathe, I lasted for a lap with the group and decided to go ahead to do additional 4 laps for a good workout. In hindsight, I should’ve just finished off the remaining 3 laps because only two other cat 3 finished the p123 race! I could’ve came in 3rd for my category… oh well. I’m off to climb Diablo, get in some endurance!