First road race completed-- RESULT!
May. 29th, 2004 01:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ninevirtuesIf you've been reading along, you may remember that I went up to race in Mt. Airy, MD during my spring break.... and, because I was inadvertently and forcibly decaffeinated, I DNFed (my first time ever).
Well, I made good today, and finished the Wake County Habitat Cycling Challenge.
1) I finished. (goal achieved!) It was sorta ladylike. I saw people do stupid stuff, like pull more than they ought to or stay out in the wind. I did not do stupid stuff. I did pull a couple of times. One of my competitors praised me for riding a tactically smart race. It was really nice to hear that, even if she WAS one of the people hanging out in the wind more than she ought to. ;-) <-- for the uninitiated, she was not riding behind someone else. You ALWAYS want to ride behind someone else, unless you have a specific reason to be in front.
2) I stayed with the main pack. (there were 10 starters, and no team had more than one person represented. A breakaway with three riders went on the one major hill in the course on the first lap, and I was not in it; I chased for a while with one other woman, but couldn't catch them. The people in the break won the prime at the end of the first lap and went 1-2-3 at the end. I carefully noted that and will remember who they were for tomorrow's criterium race. ;-)
3) A couple of times the pack jumped (sprinted briefly), and I went with them. (That's very good for me; I'm used to going by myself at a high heart rate for a long time, but not used to riding relatively easily.... then very hard for a few moments.... then relatively easily again.)
5) I climbed carefully and did not get dropped on climbs. (I have been experimenting with finding a slow wheel to follow and sticking with him, rather than trying to gain speed on a downhill and go as fast as possible uphill, then running out of steam and getting passed by all and sundry. I'm happy to report that I did not get dropped on climbs today.)
4) At the finish, I read the pack and knew when the other six people were going to start to speed up (a little more than 1k from the line). I stayed with the pack and when the finishing sprint went, I sprinted and got 5th. (RESULT!)
Crit tomorrow.... I'm off to shower and nap now!
Gail
Well, I made good today, and finished the Wake County Habitat Cycling Challenge.
1) I finished. (goal achieved!) It was sorta ladylike. I saw people do stupid stuff, like pull more than they ought to or stay out in the wind. I did not do stupid stuff. I did pull a couple of times. One of my competitors praised me for riding a tactically smart race. It was really nice to hear that, even if she WAS one of the people hanging out in the wind more than she ought to. ;-) <-- for the uninitiated, she was not riding behind someone else. You ALWAYS want to ride behind someone else, unless you have a specific reason to be in front.
2) I stayed with the main pack. (there were 10 starters, and no team had more than one person represented. A breakaway with three riders went on the one major hill in the course on the first lap, and I was not in it; I chased for a while with one other woman, but couldn't catch them. The people in the break won the prime at the end of the first lap and went 1-2-3 at the end. I carefully noted that and will remember who they were for tomorrow's criterium race. ;-)
3) A couple of times the pack jumped (sprinted briefly), and I went with them. (That's very good for me; I'm used to going by myself at a high heart rate for a long time, but not used to riding relatively easily.... then very hard for a few moments.... then relatively easily again.)
5) I climbed carefully and did not get dropped on climbs. (I have been experimenting with finding a slow wheel to follow and sticking with him, rather than trying to gain speed on a downhill and go as fast as possible uphill, then running out of steam and getting passed by all and sundry. I'm happy to report that I did not get dropped on climbs today.)
4) At the finish, I read the pack and knew when the other six people were going to start to speed up (a little more than 1k from the line). I stayed with the pack and when the finishing sprint went, I sprinted and got 5th. (RESULT!)
Crit tomorrow.... I'm off to shower and nap now!
Gail
