I have raced on and off the last couple of years with OK results in 2005 (my 1st year racing) and terrible results in 2006, due mainly to lack of time and fitness. We moved to Atlanta last Fall and I finally got over some nagging tendonitis in my left ankle/foot. My main limiter is still time available to ride. Right now I am averaging 4-6 hours a week. I know I need to get closer to 6-8 hours a week but that is tough. So, I splurged and ordered a Powertap to help me concentrate my limited time on effective training. I am looking forward to training with power. I have found a group or two to ride with and I have reacquainted myself with my Kurt Kinetic to do interval training on.
I had my first race of the year yesterday. It was a cat5 crit, part of the Athens twilight criterium. It was the fastest cat5 crit I've been in, the first lap was at or over 30mph and the group didn't really slow down after that. I lasted with the lead group for just under 2 laps then spent the next 30+ minutes in TT mode. My HR way over threshold at 166 avg and my max HR was 185. I got lapped with 2 laps to go but still finished in the top 1/2 overall. I was happy to finish and I know what I ned to work on to be more competitive. Racing is tough, especially on such limited training time, but I enjoy the test, even if I am near or at the back. Hopefully that will change soon.