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What Richard saw:
Category: E3
Result: Off the back
Things at registration were running smoothly enough that I was happy to
leave things and get a good warm-up prior to the E3 race.
Not much to report except that accelerating out of that bloody hairpin
turn is HARD.
Early on I made a point of being at the front through the finish and
round the hairpin so I got a name check from Tom S. Towards the end, I
knew I had one good effort left in me for the finale and was concocting
a scenario whereby I took a flyer to glory.
But, going into the hairpin the last time near the back of the group
stymied me. The rider on my inside announced that he had a flat,
distracted the rider in front who fell over. I was pushed wide and
unclipped a foot. It took 3 attempts and one "F*ck!" to get the foot
back in and I spent my effort trying in vain to catch back up to the
pack. I rolled in off the back.
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What Tim saw:
Category: E4
Result: 11 of 52
Teammates: 6 others
I don't remember much of this race, just that I went for a couple of
primes and tried to stay near the front. Unfortunately, I don't have
any primes to show for my efforts.
On the last lap, I was top 20, and when the surges started, I thought
about sitting up, but dug a little deeper and went with the surges.
Going into the last turn I was a bit to far back (10thish position)
and rolled in 11th.
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What Brian saw:
Category: E3
Result: Off the back
Teammates: Richard
I was determined to finish the race after botching the Wente Crit and having a bad showing at Cat's Hill. I had a good warmup, but didn't quite get my heart rate where I wanted it to be. The race started fast. Once the group settled down, I had a chance to catch my breath and start following wheels. There weren't many sketchy riders out there, so the flow of the race was predictible (until the end...). I was slow out of the hairpin so I used the main straight to catch up on lost ground. Each lap, I would move up, lose ground, regain.
In the middle of the race, I started to feel much better, but I didn't want to fall victim to the "I felt really strong, but then I blew" syndrome. At Wente, my plan was to sit in and just "feel" the race. I ended up trying to go for a prime, got pushed around and found myself chasing off the back. Didn't make the same mistake this time. I was conservative, but it paid off.
So, round and round we went, having fun, sipping margaritas, I personally enjoyed hearing people yell "BONER" at every turn! Coming into the final lap, my plan of sitting on the back bit me in the ass because there was a little tumble that ended up putting me in the far curb and dropping me far off the back. I chased with Chris Patterson of Form Fitness and we caught up with RB, but the pack was up the road.
Cruised in on impulse speed, soaking up the sun and the cheers of the adoring fans that I carted out with me. Good times.
And... that was my first complete race since coming back to FFBC!!! (we wont count that short stint with Eden, right?)
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