Purgatory Rd. Race Cat 4
3rd race this year, 2nd race in the 4s...this is essentially right by my house, I ride the course regularly, so figured I had a leg up....Plan was to cruise the two steep hills, and ride the false flats hard to try and get a gap. More a diesel than a sports car....didn't quite go as planned.
Hit a bump and punted a water bottle on the first lap....not happy about that. (mistake 1) Pack of 100 first time up the hill, and I wasn't near the front..(mistake 2). Passed a bunch of people up the hill, but a gap to the front group still. Worked with a few others to catch back on by the bottom of the big descent. Pace was good up the false flat section on the next lap, gapped again on the steep hill, caught back on again.
Pace a bit slower the third time up the false flat climb (perhaps should have made a break....missed chance), gapped again, caught back on again, but a bit quicker this time. OK position coming into the false flat climb, and two guys off the front, started moving up the inside, but door closed and then had a tough time finding a hole....(another mistake, need to work on positioning for spots on the course where I'd like to go)...tailed off again on the steep finishing climb...probably about 30 / 100...back of the lead group....
Next up is Hilltowns for me, then Tokeneke...feeling the longer steadier climbs might be more my thing than the short punchy climbs, but realize that I am still about 15 lbs heavier than I was in my prime 20 years ago....getting old is a *****.