First race of 2006

The first race this season happened on Saturday. It’s as 12mile loop around a lake, mostly flat but with some short hills. Usually these first few races of the season draw a very big crowd.
There are several groups of people who show up for there races.
1:Riders who have been training gradually all winter and are ready to get going with a new season.
2: People who have been training for a later peak and have no expectations..
3 The few who have been doing hard intervals all February targeting these March races… “might as well peak for something I have a chance at”. These riders usually last until mid to late April when the rest of the field catches up. This is how we like to label all the riders who do good… secretly we hope they will all burn out and fade away… but sometimes these riders just are group 1’s and are simply just very well prepared.
4: And then there is the group that sits in the back trying to get into shape after spending all winter skiing.
It’s an interesting mix. During the race even though the peloton can he huge, only a limited few actually stray away from there early positions in the pack. The fit generally stay up front, attacking and getting a race going, the big majority will sit behind and maybe once and a while hit the front of follow something, the unfit or late starters in or off the back. There are a few exceptions, a certain Broadmark rider no matter what kind of shape he is in will continuously attack and shoot of the front more times than you can count. No matter what you think about this tactic you have to admire his ability to recover and go again. And more then not he makes the break and either finishes the race in the front group or in the right at the back.

So the first race started in the best conditions I’ve ridden in all year…sunny and relatively warm…high 40’s…low 50’s I guess. It was only my second ride on by race bike since October… and it sure felt different. I tried to line up close to the front, but showed up a bit late, but after some maneuvering snuck in at mid pack or so. Historically the first race usually ends up in an early break staying away, so I wanted at least give my self a chance of getting in it.
Only 3 rides including I from our team showed up, there were several good reasons for this low turnout. However this did make it very hard to get a rider in each early break. I managed to get up front pretty quick and went with as many of the early flurry of attacks I could, that seamed likely or at least looked like they had the possibility of staying away. Our team with only three riders could not afford to having to chase a break with most of the other teams represented, it would have worn us down and make it just that much harder to get in the next break, and if we missed that one we would have to do it all over again. I was most likely a bit to eager and should have showed a bit more constraint…did I really have to bridge to all those groups… ¾ though the first lap I jumped across to Ian Tubs and Rob Campbell, here were to riders from the two strongest teams… I though I’d better get up there quick before it goes too far. Once I bridge I immediately start working hard, and quickly realize that Rob is just sitting on…Ian and I keep at it though…soon we are joined by a few more riders, Rob still does nothing… He was waiting for one more teammate before committing to this break…Recycled get a rider up there, BRI, Broadmark now has two, soon Dan Harm and Mike Hone also join up, although Mike never leaves the back as he is hanging on for dear life, getting pulled up by Dan Harm just about killed him by the looks of it. A mile or so later Rob has his teammate as Derrick and Ian McKissick of Recycled join us. We are now 13 in the break. By now I’m a bit too tired; this was a hard first lap…5more to go…ohhhh.
As we turn out on the main road and up the hill attacks start going, Rob who is rested gets of in one with a Recycled, Broadmark…and the gap is growing fast….oh oh… now(next day) I realize my misstate, but at the time and tried to bridge, when I was 3/4 there I look back, everybody is on my wheel, I’m cooked so I swing of, now I do the rookie mistake and mess up getting back on. Derrick is the last guy…no wait it’s Hone….wait Hone is dropped…and before I know it I’m gapped off, going up the little riser….just like that I’m off….I can’t believe it…how did that happen?... I shouldn’t have worked so hard earlier, I guess it’s just the excitement of the first race. I should have let the four guys go, if I wasn’t on it right away, somebody else probably would have tried to close it, and if not fighting for 5th is better then nothing…. Oh well next time…I can tell I haven’t raced since last fall. As son as I was back in the field Jason took of and was joined by a Andrew(WOW)… the duo never managed to bridge but go close for a while and stayed away for a lap. As we passed the finish line the brake and 2min, then next lap 4, 5 it was over.. we were not strong enough to bring it back ourselves and no one else seamed willing. Since there was nothing to lose at this point I stayed aggressive and tried to get of the front or chase down moves. good training. With a few miles to go I got away with five riders, we worked good and basically went flat out. At 1 k to go the pack was getting closer though. I pulled though for the last time coming down the last hill, I was a bit worried that I would nor be stuck in front, but the two WOW riders came around. At 400m the pack was probably not more then 3 sec back, at 300 I had to go to have any chance of making it before getting caught…at 200m Justin Morgan came of my wheel and took of….I was left in my own misery. Those last 200m were pure pain, during the last 50m I had to stand up and sit down 3 times just to keep moving….
I finished just in head off Matt Quann, and the rest of the pack…. That was cutting it close.
13th overall… could/should have been better….but that’s why it’s a training race.
Next week it will most likely come down to a pack sprint, unless the “right” riders with points get in the break.