My first was the Boonsboro in the MABRA (Maryland) this past season 40+ : It was fairly flat, 49 kilometer (30 miles approx) I was the last racer out of the gate. ( or so I thought) .
The rider ahead of me was a H U G E brute of a man and begged me to show mercy. He actually asked for a push as I go by him before leaving the gate.
The road dropped off for the first 1/2 mile then rose back up. As I got the 'go' I saw him at the bottom of the hill ahead and against my directors wishes I decided NOT to do a negative interval. I blasted up to him in the first mile and no, did not push him.
(After the race he commented on how my disk scared the poop out of him as I approched and passed *(right on Vino k) ).
Twenty klicks later, I got passed and it was not him! Talk about deflating my ego.. shortly after got passed again, then AGAIN. All told I was passed by six late entries . After the turn around, it was full into the wind and I vowed to at least bridge up to the last passer which I managed to get within 300 meters of before the line. I placed twentieth, out of thirty-five. Not too shaby for a 49 year old. But what I learned was,
1.Run your own race.
2.Stay focussed
Above all NEVER GIVE UP as I did when the last guy passed me. I resigned myself to just finishing and not putting in a big effort.
Next year will be different.