Well its three races into the season, and a bit of a slow start. Not quite off with the bang of the past couple of years, but excuses are plentiful!
The season started about 5 days after returning home from a two week stint in China, and really, as amazing that the trip was, (I'd go again in a heartbeat!!), there is no better way to mess up good form than to fly half way 'round the world, not ride for two weeks, sit in the back seat of a car for 1500km+, breathing some wicked heavy air (11/10 on the Toronto smog scale), then flying home, and readjusting back from the 12hour time change.
*cough* I need a smoke!
So first race, yeah, you might call it that. Britania was a good day, not super cold, drizzly, fast course, and I didn't die! Top 20 in the overall, really not that bad! Week two would be Britania, again, this time the Madison. Normally we'd skip this one to travel, but decided to stay home and build form, good call. Team-mate Marc and I would partner up, and had a good race. We were something like 6th overall? Really good, laps were getting faster as the race went on (I did four of 7). I feel like I am riding well, maybe not the top end I'd normally have, but technically really sound!
The following week would be a bit slack in the riding, and Thanksgiving happened in our house on Saturday (never again before a race!!) Woke up Sunday to head to Brockville, not feeling super confident. The weather was perfect 10 going up to 15ish, Sun, and wind. Rain mid week was really heavy there, and didn't dry up much. The course was a sloggfest time trial, with wind, glad I had my HR on... The tickle in my throat, turkey gut, and lack of confidence was leaving me wondering why I was even there... The race did start off ok, got moved up on the first lap, took charge on the second lap, and was putting in time. All was looking up, I was hopeful anyway. Lap three I noticed a group of six forming about 15-20 or so second back, I was (and had been) alone in the wind, cue the music.. da-da-daaaaaa. The group of six would actually blow, advantage me. I also blew, re-advantage group behind, as I watched over the next two laps one by one they caught and rode by. It was then pretty much a ride home. With two laps to go, a slight resurgence crept into the legs, just enough to put in a respectable final lap though. It was a rough race, one of the hardest I'd done in a long time, and the HR didn't lie, I spent all by 3 minutes in "zone 5", averaging 95% of my max heart rate for an hour and 12 min... Ouch.
So its recover, ride this week, and hope that pain is gain.
Monday I rode the Tall Tree double 'cross (fun ride, not a race), not much to say other than three flat tires in 68km, and we took the short route home, again, ouch.
Next week the plan is to go to Laval, first race of the season in Quebec. Hoping it goes better than previous weeks, only one way to find out!!
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