I went to this race with a goal to finish it because on my last race, being Spring Hill, I didn’t get to finish it because I got a jump chain and a flat tire as soon as I started my second lap. Our race was to begin at 3:30 p.m. but we left from Fremont at 10:30 a.m. because we wanted to walk around and see what people were selling at the festival.
There were 67 people racing in my category, including me. On the first hill everyone started going fast, which divided the group into two groups, where I was in the first, until the fourth lap, where one of the riders’ chain fell causing this first group to divide into two, where I was in the second. The chain falling made the other group get 10 to a 15 seconds ahead. I tried to catch up with the other group that was in first, but it was impossible. This made feel like there was no point on finishing the race, but still I kept on peddling, even though I wasn’t in the group anymore. I decided to work with five other riders that were behind me and for a long time we worked together. But after they started getting tired and there speed was lowering so once again, I broke away and went at my own pace. I soon reached four other guys and they had a good pace. With this new group we passed others that were in the first group. When finishing the last lap, the marshal gave us a sign letting us know that the last hill was near, which was where the finish line would be. Two out of four riders, that were riding in the group I was in, were lift behind and I began to increase the speed little by little, leaving other competitors behind. This led to my getting 13th place. After the results were released, I felt great about myself because I thought that I had gotten a place in between 20 and 30.
Gonzalo Carrillo