Menasha Crit. 8-14-11

What a beautiful day! I headed up to Menasha with my coach Jeff Melcher from Cycling Form and Fitness, we did the M1,2,3 race. Weather was perfect, not crazy winds and temperature was perfect. The venue was great, they had food and beverages for purchase, a pace car and a stage with podium boxes(for a WCA race that is nice). The O2 guys did a great job!

The course was flat with one false flat straight, was a nice course with good roads.

I haven't raced since T.o.A.D. and that was back in June, so I was brushing up on some of my pack skills before the big race this coming weekend (Race the Lake). Not, that it was a big pack by all means with only 22 or so racers in my race.

The race was very tactical with guys trying to make a break work, guys were constantly attacking and chasing and finally one got away. It definitely takes the right combination to make it work. I did my fair share of trying to bridge and was successful a time or two, but I was getting tired. I also spent quite a bit of time on the front too. Didn't do a great job of stacking zero's.

If you find your self on the front, I find it positive, because that means your fitness is good enough to be there and you are riding/racing fast enough to keep other racers from coming around. When I was on the front I was staying with in myself, so I was trying to race as smart as possible without completely blowing up.

Anyways, back to the race, so there were attack after attack, until finally a small group of four where of the front and then there was a chase group and they didn't succeed and where all absorbed back into the main pack of about 18.I was on the front of the main group for a lap or two around 5 or 6 laps left and this is not where I wanted or needed to be. So, what did I do you ask? I started going slower and slower until finally someone attacked and then I jumped and got into someones draft. With two to go I was in a decent position and had a good position again with one to go. The last lap was relatively slow for half of it and then it took off, I was kind of boxed in when guys started to jump, but I did manage to pass a couple before the finish line. I finished well (10th), that is a best for me in this classification, so I am very pleased with the results from myself and my coaching. Jeff finished 7th and was in the money.

Up next is Race the Lake, this is August 21st and it is a 90 mile road race around Lake Winnebago.