Driveway 3/4. I got somewhere around 12th and probably didn't deserve even that crappy placing.

I raced like an idiot tonight. I had a plan and stuck to it, even when I figured it wasn't the right plan any more. I had a teammate, and a friend, and we planned to go otf together after a late prime, when the pace was high and everyone was tired.

Well, no wind tonight, not a technical course, so no fatigue in the pack. It kept crowding up and getting dangerous. I always managed to squirt out the front of the rush from behind, so I stayed safe in the top 15. There was a horrible crash at 30mph a few laps in, on the long straight going back to the start/finish. One guy had a bad brain injury with amnesia and siezures. Not good. He left in an ambulance, and will be in my prayers tonight.

One friend got caught in that crash (15 went down). Crap. He's ok, but it sucks.

Anyway, back to my idiocy. Nobody was tired after the primes. The race wasn't fast. I was waiting for a pack fatigue that wasn't going to come. Finally, with four to go, I launched after a prime, tired of waiting. I stayed away for a lap, and when they caught me, they let me dangle off the front. So I redoubled my efforts and dove for the other side of the road, staying about 3 seconds off the front. My teammate bridged up to me, and we worked for half a lap and gained more distance. The chase got serious, and they reeled us in.

Another attack goes through the start/finish with 2 to go, and I bridged up to them, and rode straight through. They got on, and we were rotating. Then two of them locked bars and nearly went down at the front of our break. Are you serious? Gah. Ok, that messed us up enough that we got caught quickly.

I jumped in at 5th wheel, forcing a guy out of the line (hip to hoods). He got upset, but it's not like it was a surprise that I was coming in, and I had the hip, and he had the hoods -- I win. Bah. Sigh. I miss Masters racing, where guys realize they are about to lose position and do something about rather than complain. Don't be a welcome mat, then complain when someone wipes the dog crap off their shoes on you.

Dead legs on the last lap, and I couldn't move up from 15th or so. Good team leadout going on, and I had lit a match trying to avoid this situation. The swarm came around the sides, and sucked me along with it. Legs came back a bit, but position wasn't coming up as fast as the start finish. Coasted in somewhere around 12th, and not close enough to the front to fight for it against Crashy McCrasherstein all around me.

Well, at least I learned something tonight. If the race isn't hard enough for my strategy, I need to admit it, and change strategy. Lazy racing. Shameful.

grwoolf, I'm glad the races are making sense to you, and the rhythm is coming. Too bad about the crash, but it's probably good to get it in your head that a crash isn't the end of the world. Did you get back in after a free lap?