Some races just feel like home. You've ridden the course so many times that you feel a sense of belonging and being home just being on it and that you should have some sort of advantage because of it.
Of course, usually courses like those also come loaded with a lot of memories of races that did not go as well as you'd wanted. Today was one of those courses.
It was the first race this year that I've ever done before. All the races so far this year were new courses that I'd never ridden before, so I had to put a lot more planning into how I'd ride the course. I've ridden today's West River Drive course so many times I probably could have done it with my eyes closed.
I've also got a lot of memories of not getting the time I wanted here. I've always wanted to do times under 20:00 and I've only done it a handful of times in my life. 19:00 was a far off dream.
This year I was really trying not to put a lot of pressure on myself. It's not a priority race for me; I just really wanted to do well here just out of my own history here.
It was a warm morning, with about 72 degrees and high humidity at the start. There was a light wind from the south, so there would be a tailwind on the way out and a headwind on the way back. Considering my speeds in past races, I was aiming for a time of 18:35 and a power of 280 watts. I expected to be slightly ahead of pace and below the power on the way out to allow for the wind and keep a little gas in the tank for the way back.
Of course, for the longest time, this was my only held start of the year
and I used to panic over that. Now I've done several and been
practicing whenever I could. I didn't even think about the start; it's
almost reflex now.
On the way out, I was FLYING. I kept my power up, starting fast off the line and getting up to speed quickly. I was routinely seeing speeds of 27 to 28 mph. I was actually a bit paranoid seeing speeds that high, watching to make sure my power was not too high. I was worried about burning out.
I was also focusing on my position, keeping my head down and trying to be as aero as I could.
I hit the turnaround at 8:55. WAY ahead of pace, but I knew I'd have to fight the wind on the way back... In a rare moment, I was happy with my turnaround. I waited until the last minute to slow down, dove into the turn, and came back out accelerating quickly.
I was probably a mile back before the though went through my head: what wind? I was not really noticing any wind. Then the road slightly bends... ah, there it is! Strong wind right in my face, but I kept enough in reserve that I could increase my power to keep the speed up.
With just a mile to go, I dug as deep as I could, trying to get just a little more power. I was going as hard as I could already and could barely get any more power out of my legs.
I hit the line with nothing left. I don't think I could have done anything more. I looked down at my computer and saw the time... I was stunned. 18:09 and 284 watts. Way faster than what I wanted with exactly the power I wanted. Very nice!
It was good enough for 4th place. I've never even cracked the top 20 in this race before, so I am absolutely ecstatic about that result.
The Numbers:
Distance: 8.1 miles
Time: 18:09
Avg Speed: 26.8 mph
Avg Power: 284 watts
