Mike, Steve B. and I showed up to race in Carlisle on Sunday. Mike opted for the 20k option while Steve and I went for the 40k. Mike was trying to show us how real men race and arrived at the start line on his road bike with clip-on aerobars. He really threw down and even with his minimalist aero setup finished with a time of 30:50
Steve and I did the 40k. Steve did his first sub 1hour 40k and finished in 58:12.
I ended up with a 54:05. Not a PR by a long shot but on an imperfect day I'll take it. It was warm and really humid. Not a "fast" day but at least it wasn't cold.
Next up for Mike and I was the South Mountain hill climb. Steve had to go home to do homework and continue on with "Real Life". The hill climb is where I think I really messed up. We started out at a really comfortable pace and I was sitting 4th in line and I believe Mike was on my wheel. After the first, flat 2 miles of the race we hit the climb and as soon as we did Mike dropped his chain. He was able to sprint back on but that effort was too much and caused him to fall back from there. I was still in the front group of 5 and going at a steady and comfortable pace. We continued like this for about 20 minutes of the race until the group surged. I didn't stay with the group because I was worried that my TT effort earlier in the day might cause me to crack in spectacular fashion if I tried to match their pace. So I setteled into my own rhythm and continued on. I eventually caught one of the 4 riders who rode away from me earlier.I think if I had pushed the pace of the original group of 5 to where I was more comfortable then they may have not been able to surge and I may have fared better. Also, I didn't realize how close to the finish we were when I decided to go into conservation mode. I think I may have been able to stay with them if I had and then who knows how a sprint might have worked out. I guess we will never know. One thing that I do know is that I messed up and missed an opportunity. Oh well, live and learn.
