Poor College Kid's Road Race

My first race in USA for 2009. Not too bad a start for the year. I've already done a couple of races in New Zealand, but wasn't race fit for them. I wouldn't consider myself fully race fit now either, but I'm in much better shape now than I was.

I was going into this race with a couple of big days over this last week, but my form wasn't looking too shabby at all. I went up Mt Figeroa 2 days earlier, and rode it almost 10min quicker than I did in February last year. But now to see how I would handle some racing.

The race was 68miles (109km) which consisted of 2x out and back. This meant that the yellow line rule was strictly enforced, especially with other races on at the same time. The race started off going up a false flat, with a few steeper sections, before descending down a steep hill. It then was rolling down to the turn around, before heading back the opposite way.

With a lot of riders, I'm guessing over 80, it was pretty tight just in the right lane. It did stretch out a bit over the first hill, but the group stayed together. Coming around the first u-turn was where people started to be put under a bit of pressure. I learned that I should have been a lot further up the first time round.

I felt pretty good by the end of the race, but didn't quite have the power to be able to match the stronger riders up the final climb. A few of us chased hard on the descent, but weren't quite able to catch back onto to the group in front.
Overall result, I have no idea where I finished, but my Team Type 1 teammates did well to finish first with Ricardo Escuela, and Moises Aldalpe second. With 18 in the race you'd expect us to take and the piss, and we did with several other riders finishing in the front group.

My next race will be the last day of Feb down in South Carolina, so before then it's time to train hard, get a bit of altitude training in Boulder, and settle in at home in Richmond.