This weekend I spent more time being social than racing.
On Friday, we hung out with Rich for an hour, talking about work, cycling, bikes, balancing cycling with the rest of life, and just generally chatting.
I rode the 7.7 miles back to the start with Anthony, chatting the whole time.
Today after the race, we went out for brunch with Anthony, Cary, Steve, and Fran. Like most cyclist outings, conversation skewed heavily towards racing, training, and equipment.
Somewhere in the middle, I did a race.
The race is called the Sandrino's Sacrifice Time Trial, held as a fund raiser for http://www.honoringsandrinossacrificefund.com/ I was happy to see all the riders who won money unanimously donate it to the foundation.
Today's course was a 7.7 mile one-way course. It's mostly flat with a few climbs. Nothing steep, but just long enough to make it hurt a little more. It didn't help that we had a pretty consistent 10 mph head wind with a few stronger gusts.
After last week, I was in the lead for the series, so I got to start last. Anthony started 30 seconds in front of me, so I had the advantage of being able to see him throughout the race.
It didn't really help. I put everything I had into this race. It's so short that you can really fly, holding back just enough to last the entire distance. I hit the finish line with absolutely nothing left, but I could tell Anthony had pulled away from me.
It was a little disappointing since I won this race last year (my first win ever) and was hoping to defend it. I was over a minute slower this year than last year, but I averaged 8 watts higher. That head wind really made a difference.
The good news is that no one else got ahead of us. Anthony won at 18:16. I was second, 20 seconds behind him (and 7 seconds ahead of the guy in 3rd). Now he's back in the lead in the series, with 146 points. I'm in second with 145 points. The guy in 3rd has 107 points.
With two races to go and a maximum of 20 points that can be won in each race, it's all but certain that I'll finish in 2nd place at worst and 1st place is still in reach.
What I did right:
Gave it all I had
Kept my power up on the downhills and when the wind varied a bit
What could have been better:
Nothing that I can think of
The Numbers:
Distance: 7.7 miles
Time: 18:36
Speed: 24.9 mph
Avg Power: 280 watts
Avg Heart Rate: 169 bpm
