timmyquest

I'll keep this brief.

Since these don't matter, I'll get them out of the way.
The physical excuses.
Last week i f'ed my back pretty good. It kept me off the bike for almost a week. I managed to get 40 in by myself, and then 40 more with the group. The group ride which i had finished fine with the week before, last week left me OTB seeing stars and giving me goosebumps all over. I was still a little sore from that ride when i woke up today.

Race #2.

• Warm weather finally.
  
• I felt ok. Found myself in the back. Realized that was wasting energy (slinky anyone). Moved up front. With 2 left i was exactly where i wanted to be.
  
• The finish line was on top of a small hill. For some reason people were hacking it up that hill all day long, i don't get it.
  
• With 1 left i have no choice but to pass most everyone up that hill. There was 1 left...it wasn't a big hill.
  
• As i cross the line, a guy goes. I latch on to his wheel.
  
• I'm thinking "hmm. I'm in 2nd place on the last lap. That wasn't exactly the plan...but sweet".
  
• He starts to fade. I'm willing to pull him. I get next to him and say "Lets go..." He looks at me like i was speaking Spanish.
  
• ****.
  
• I get out of the saddle at the halfway point, which is on a hill.
  
• Pop goes the weezle--i tried as hard as i could, people were flooding past me.
  
• I essentially sit up, to avoid what i saw just before my race (someone vying for a top 15--maybe--now twitching and bleeding in the street)
  
• I finished at the back of the pack, which is fine with me, as where i would have finished was...tada, another wreck. Not worth it.

Next race...i stick to the plan.

Psimet2001 

You looked good out there (probably because you finally had a real jersey on). That's why I was yelling at you to hit it when you came around on the last lap.

Everyone was dogging the hill because it was into the wind and no one wanted to work on it. Worked great for me too allowing me to move back to the front on every lap.

So....you should go out there again tomorrow!

Nice race!

timmyquest

Redbull...errr PSI gives you wings!

**BTW**

I'm downloading 4gigs of photo's...yummy

patentcad

The Mets won today. J. Santana got the win, pitched 7 innings of shutout ball, lowered his ERA to .041 after three games and 19.2 innings pitched. He has been flawless in three outings.

So really, isn't that more important than bike racing?

timmyquest

Next time i will try to sit back a bit. But i wasn't the strongest up the hill. Cubs win. I saw your other post

McTufferton

I did the same thing 2 weeks ago... took a flyer with 1 lap to go, failed, no matches left for the sprint and took 11th. I had great position around the last turn. Had I sat back and been patient, I would have contested for top 5. You said it best: "still much more to learn".

And EF the Cubs.

timmyquest

Indeed. My last race i was completely out of position...so, all in all this is a good improvement.

muahahah

patentcad

I just figured that a guy who never wins races should comment on baseball not bicycle racing. But yes try sitting in the top five wheels if you can, then try jumping first if possible.

timmyquest

Visions of Tcad make me want to train harder...

I got too excited. Having never been OTF...i mean...i learned real quick it isn't all it sounds to be.

patentcad

But being OTF can work if somebody stronger than you gets your wheel and starts helping you drive the train. I've done it (not recently) and it's fun. Don't give up on the idea.

timmyquest

It was annoying. I would have gladly taken 2nd...

Truth is i don't think it would have mattered if he came with me, and i'm guessing he was about as dead as i was shortly thereafter.

patentcad

That is the problem in Cat 5: usually not enough horsepower to drive the break, and the pack tends to go at one relatively high speed, that makes it harder to attack and establish a gap. Vets and higher Cat races tend to ebb and flow a bit more.

timmyquest

I'm glad you brought that up, i was noticing that today watching the 1/2/3. I noticed that the pack moved a bit slower overall at times but there were a lot more attacks...which were then chased down...then more attacks. While the lower cats just seem balls to the wall. Then again, what the hell else is there to do in a 20 min race

Somewhat counter intuitive in one sense, but does make sense.

nitropowered

Nothing really ever goes to plan.

timmyquest

Unless your plan is to do the exact opposite of what i wanted to do, in which case i would have stuck exactly to the plan. I specifically told myself i didn't want to be in 1st on the last lap. I was just surprised that i actually found myself there...so why stick to the plan

Psimet2001 

FWIW - TQ - I was reviewing my power and speed data....the cat 4 race had much lower spikes and ebbed and flowed a ton better than even the Masters 4/5 did. If no one is attacking in 4's races around here it seems like everyone is sitting in.

...still a fast race, but it could have been a leg burner.