It was quite stale at the time of posting, but the entertainment value is I'm sure as eternal as the internet.
Cat 4/5
Strategy: Try to be a bit smarter/efficient, get near the front sooner (last 2 laps). I have no idea who was racing or who was winning or who was attacking who and who was marking who; dreaming of breaking the top 20.
Impressions: Reported 110 degrees at the start. Lots of squirrely, brakey activity in the corners. Seems better than last week though, perhaps everyone is better at RH turns? First lap a big guy moves onto me bars to bars - I calmly lean back a bit (gotta help him keep his line :). Long straight-aways allowed some water sipping in the heat, but there was lots of packlash (gap/squeeze/gap/squeeze - hey, a new sniglet) even in the front half. Some suffered, I felt like a kid having a bunch
of fun. At one point (lap 5?) I was zipping around, taking wind, having
fun; checked the HR and saw 178. Oops, chill out! Moved back to pack
middle, avoid packlash, match burning.
Results: With 1.5 laps I moved up before the hill, up and through the two turns through the finish, moved up 5-7 spots just like that. Stayed in the top 10 on the back, which was much faster the final lap. Had enough to pop up the hill again and pass two or three in the curves again and took one more in the sprint for the 6th place. I am cornering better, but still room for improvement. With some more efficiency and an earlier move, seems like I could take a top 4 given the same race?... Just dreaming anyway.
Between Races
Legs are dead. I whined. I thought about sitting and watching, but one hour helped me not decide. Drank a gallon, ate a pear, paid my $5 and got to the start. Did I mention my legs feel dead? :) Maybe it was the 1 mile intervals I ran yesterday, more likely the stupid 175mm crank arms. About the time I get used to them I'll swap em back out for 172.5's.
M35+
Strategy: Finish.
Impressions: The 35+ is definitely smoother, less squirrely. Still, surprising amount of braking and movement. More yelling and commenting. In one corner El Torito almost bumps me off his flank, I stay clear, a pack of 4-5 off my flank all break into audible complaints of "come on!". I'm wearing my plain pearl izuma yellow jersey, no sponsors or italian stitching, they are wary of me (newbie!). Maybe I will use this later to gap them with some wiggly turns.
I get to see our JPB boys working the front. I wonder if they are packlashing us on purpose, it would be a good strategy the next time. Benz sits in the back of a big pack (lots of 60 second attacks: stretch the pack like a rubber band until cracks appear). Later, I see Mike is dragging a big bean-bag of a peleton behind him; actually the pack is pushing on him, people are sitting up and drinking. Helps me recover, I might finish after all!
The packlashing gets bad. At one point I refuse to brake, and shoot off the front for the lead for a few seconds. I'm pretty sure this is a bad idea, I coast back into the middle. Later, feeling well situated, I glance back to see the pack and find I'm 2nd to the back; it's like noticing you are standing with your heels on the edge of a cliff! I use a match and the rebound off the packlash to get back in the top 3rd. Okay into the top of the bottom 3rd, anyway.
I hang on. I stay out of a crash. I close gaps a bit better than some others, but I see plenty around me still with jets even in the last 3 laps, while I'm close to redlining.
Results: On the final lap I start a "sprint" which is more like a continuation of a big 2-lap interval. I gladly sit up on the last turn behind a poor soul who crashes 50m from the finish, maybe a top 20? Actually I took 14th - Woohoo!
Retro: Again need work on efficiency and pack hiding. Maybe only racing 35+ would help too. Can't decide if the logo'd shirt would be an advantage or not. Had lots of fun.
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