Saturday, March 21, 2009

Race Report: Out Like a Lion Cat 4

Ken Craven and I lined up for the Cat 4 Out Like a Lion road race as part of a huge field, probably 80+ riders. The yellow line definitely had its work cut out for it. We had 5 laps of the 6.5 mile loop. Uwharrie Wheelmen put this on, and do a great job.
My plan for the day was to be patient, which is something I need to work on. I need to resist the urge to go in every break and learn to save energy. Ken's plan was to hang on as best he could, as he works himself back into shape, and if everything went perfect, be in a position at the end to either help me or score a good finish for himself.
I followed my plan for 1.5 laps, but then couldn't resist joining another rider and bridging up to a break on the second lap. There were 5 other riders there and I hoped 7 of us working together could make it stick, but it didn't happen. After that I honored the plan, and stayed out of breaks for the rest of the day. A few more breaks went and came back. Now I just need to break myself from the habit of chasing breaks. Eventually we got to enjoy the typical field sprint.
I made my move a little too early and then tried to hang on for dear life. I have not seen the results (couldn't hang around...soccer...) but i think i managed to hang to to 6th or 7th. Mike Chappell with Central Carolina Racing / Uwharrie Wheelmen took the win. congrats to Mike it was well deserved, he rode a smart race and finished strong.
Looking forward to the season, I think we can make some good things happen. Special kudos to Ken for getting out there and giving it a go. It obviously won't be long and he'll be firing on all cylinders again. definitely had a lot of fun and lessons were learned, filed away somewhere in the back of the brain.

steve b

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