Whitnall Park Race Report

5:30am - Pick up Newt.
5:50am - Pick up Brian.
6:00am - Off to the races! [yawn]

We got an early start to beat the construction traffic, which never materialized. No matter, we found a Starbucks about 10 miles outside Whitnall Park and talked strategy for an hour. The final strategy you ask? To attack on lap 4 at the spot that shall not be named.

The Masters 4/5 30+ was up first. I placed 11th last year in this race, so I was hoping to best that. Seemed plausible, even though I took almost 10 days off the bike the week before to go scuba diving (and boy could I feel it in my legs). The race was 40 minutes long, so no need to get all antsy from the start. Just stay up front and hide from the 25mph winds. Not much happened the first 30 minutes of the race. Everyone rode smooth, refrained from braking in and bombing the corners and no crashes (thanks, guys).

Suddenly we pass the start/finish, and the lap sign says "2". Brian is next to me, and I ask "Two laps to go?". "Yea", he says. "Two laps to the finish???", I ask questioningly. "Yep", he confirms. Wow. Wasn't paying attention, and those first 30 minutes flew by. The bad thing was, I was about 20 riders back, sandwiched between riders who were going absolutely nowhere and just sitting in. Uh-oh. Time to move up, and move up fast. Fast forward another lap, the whole time thinking "move up, move up, move up...". Now I'm about 12 riders back, on the inside. Going down into the one tight corner before the hill, I take the inside line. A few pedals strokes later, the entire group is hugging the left side of the road and a wide open lane presents itself up to the stop sign where the road narrows. I don't even think about, I just jump. I move up to front of the group, past them, bomb the corner at the stop sign cutting the apex and shortening my line as much as possible and bury myself to get off the front. I take one glance back, hoping Brian or Newt got my wheel. They didn't, but they really had no chance. This was not our plan (which didn't materialize on lap 4) and I gave them no notice when I jumped. Too bad, had one of them had gotten my wheel, I think we would have had a real chance.

The move was more than likely doomed to fail. However, I felt like I wasn't in the position I needed to be to contest the finish going into the hill, and sometimes when a opportunity presents you have to take it. Besides, I'd rather race for first place and finish 35th than race for 35th and finish 35th. I was able to hold my lead up the false flat, somewhat down the hill going into the corner before the finish. A rider did bridge up to me at the base of the hill, passing me briefly only to fade, which gave me a bit of hope. "Hey, I can launch the sprint a little early, catapult from behind him using his draft, and maybe, just maybe, hold on to win...". Just as I start to move around him, I catch a glimpse of the chase group behind me about 50 meters, closing fast. Damn, didn't make it. I am toasted at this point and all I can do is soft pedal in for something like 35th place. Oh well, one of these days that move will work.

Cat 4/5 race was next. [Sigh...] Sketchy racers, bombing corners, braking into corners with huge accelerations coming out. The usual stuff, no need to bitch about it any more than that. My legs were still tired from the previous race and I had a hard time staying up front. I hung in, though, moved to the top 10 positions in the final 1/2 lap and gave it all I had at the finish. The legs didn't respond though, and I fell back to something like 20th place. Jacques had a good race and placed 6th, after pulling out of the first race with a flat tire and a broken derailleur cable (which just happened to be on the bike I loaned him after he toasted his derailleur and hanger in the sprint practice the previous week).

All in all, another great day of racing with my friends despite no podium finishes that day for the guys (but a 2nd place for Tamara in the 4's).