ToL

Tour of Lawrence Race report.......

Friday. Open street sprints (AKA race the pro's)

It was a 200m slight down hill held start drag race. 4 up per round. 1st round was for seeding, then each after was keep top 2.

I used the first round just to get the timing down as I have the power to do really well, just not the strategy. Took second with ease. Next round was keep top 2. I got a good start and just followed #1 in for second. Round 3 I had to hit it a little harder, but did not yet go all out and took the #1 spot. Round 4 was for the winner and loser bracket (top 10). I got a good start but miss-shifted/didn't accelerate well for ~1 sec and that's all it took for me to be just off second to get third.

I did set new power records with 1788 watts for 1 sec and 1651 for 5 seconds.

Saturday was a hilly circuit race. It was HOT. I was feeling OK in warmup, but not too excited to race. Rolling up to the start on the last row as they are giving instructions didn't help either. So now I am at the back of a very hilly (350 ft per 4 miles) with turns at the base of most of the realtively steep hills. I move up a bit on the first lap and settle in to 'pack slide' on the long hill back to the start finish. I slide just off the back at the top and begin to chase back on.

At this point I was contemplating quiting the race. It was hot, the course does not suit my abilities, and the Sunday race is one of my favorites of the year. I put in one pseudo effort and pulled the plug. Rode a lap on the tops just seeing the sights. I went back to the hill to cheer/give hand ups.

Sunday was an 8 turn FAST crit with almost no change in elevation. This is my cup of tea. I start in the second row and just settle in. The legs feel great. There are some attacks early, but nothing is going to stick on this course. I basically just made sure that I could move around at will and stayed in the first third. It was a relativley fast race at 26.5 avg, but not that hard. Until............4 to go.

I was up in the first 10-15 when the swarm and attacks started again and again. As well as the crashes. A guy went down right in front of me in corner 5 which cost me a few spots with 4 to go. Then on the home stretch, it swarmed on the right. I was right there and went with it. then the back stretch, I'm on the right and were slowing. Attack goes left, and we all go too. The pack is wide and someone crosses up. Takes out about 6 on the left. I'm still good sitting near the front. 2 to go, just covering/conserving my spot at about 8-10 back.

1 to go on the home stretch. The pack swells and I am on the right, when the left attacks. Sh!t, my side is not moving!!!! I'm stuck. I jumped hard through corner 1 and 2 to make up 4-5 spots. Tuck in and rail corner 3. Jump hard again to get into 12 back. Corner 5....corner 6.....

Move up 3 more spots.....corner 7 .....no time....corner 8 (hey buddy hold that wheel)...... hit the GAS.

Pass the remaining 3 that I could get for 6th. In retrospect, I should have gone all out after corner 6 (through 7 and 8). That or gone to the 3 -4 spot before corner 5. It didn't help that there was a gap between the top 2 and then behind guy 5 after corner 7.

I took 8th last year as a 4, so 6th as a 3 is not bad.