We got there earlier than I thought. I got my number, and started to slowly get ready. I socialized (I know, I know) with teammates and got on the trainer for half an hour or so. Got completely ready and went to the start. Met up with Pam and started.
The course is flat. No technical spots, really. There's one "hill" that isn't steep nor long. It was windy as hell and but we didn't get any rain, just some mist. I recognized a lot of the ladies in my group, which consisted of 14. It was humid, but I still decided to wear arm warmers, which turned out to be a good move since I'd get cold after getting hot (no, I'm not menopausal!) , but I was still sweating like a mofo... I blame the humidity.
The first lap was nice and slow. A few surges but nothing too bad. The pace picked up on the second lap. When we got to the hill, some of the group fell behind. I kept up with the lead group. On the third lap, I was hanging on. Barely, but I hung on. We got to the hill and a Metromint girl and I fell back. On a flat part, I told her, "Get on," and she jumped on my wheel. We took turns working to catch the group, and we nearly caught them but then the small downhill came, and after that, the wind got us. A few times we were close to catching them, but after a few miles, they disappeared. Metromint and I worked together to get to the finish. We chatted while we got to the finish line and she then said, "This is your second road race ever? Shit! I've been racing all season!"
We got to the finish. There were only places up to 6th, but I was the 8th person to finish. Not bad, considering I was able to hang with the machines-for-ladies for a good chunk of the course! I was pretty proud of myself. I stopped to congratulate our winner, and she said, "With a few more races under you, you'll be great! You're a really, really strong rider, you just did too much work. You'll get it!" I've raced with this gal in Winters, Cyclebration, and Henleyville... basically, ALL of my races, and I know she's a strong ride. It was truly flattering to hear those words!
One of the biggest things I learned on this race is to make friends. The first lap is most likely NOT going to determine who the winner is. If someone wants to get into the group, let them come in. It's not going to hurt you, kill you, or make you lose. And look, because I made some friends, I was able to work with a gal I've NEVER met before to get to the finish line with less suffering. There was a lot, but it helps to have someone work with you.
This was a great race. Extremely windy, but it was fun. I definitely found out that I can push myself even harder. It always sucks being left behind, but dammit! I hardly have ANY experience. This is helping me, though. I know a few thing I have to work on and I know that I'll be able to be more competitive next year. I'll admit, this race has me SORE, mostly because I pushed myself harder than I knew I could.
What a freakin' awesome race!
No comments:
Post a Comment