What a race. It was just this morning so I'm still looking for a little perspective, but as of right now I'm still disappointed. (This is down from "profoundly disappointed" earlier today.)
I started at the line but on the left side, and got out ahead after the whistle blew (which took more than one of us by surprise). Soon I found myself in front with Dana, Lorri, and Mariska, setting the pace up the hill and into the first turn. In general, most of the first lap was pretty civilized. I spent some time at the front but hardly even broke a sweat. On the rollers/hills I felt pretty strong, didn't lose any ground, and even passed some people.
The back stretch on the first lap is where I burned a match or two last year by pulling at the front too much. This year, I managed to stay off the front, but I think there was a cross-wind that I wasn't wholly successful at staying out of. I was trying to keep an eye out for Emily, whom I hadn't seen since the start. Finally I looked back and saw her five or six wheels back, and was relieved that she hadn't gotten caught behind a gap as at Dunnigan Hills last week.
We got neutralized on the back stretch, which wasn't the end of the world since we were already all together anyway. Once the men's field passed us, the girls at the front of the pack picked up the pace. Soon we were on the men's tails. Confusion -- why were the men going so slowly? What were we supposed to do now? Dana figured out that the race officials were actually neutralizing the men, waiting for us to pass them. More confusion -- I don't know if it was the wind or just disbelief, but we couldn't get anyone to do anything. Finally I shouted at Dana to just "go!!" so she did. A bunch of us hit it and we passed the men.
Then the pace really picked up. I was feeling really good about being able to stay up with the leaders. We rounded the corner into town and headed back up the hill for lap two. Suddenly doubts started to creep in. "Can I really do this for a second lap? Am I crazy?" After the feed zone, I was still with the lead group, but I wasn't having fun anymore. Then, just past the turnoff to the finish line, there was a crash in front -- three women went down. I was able to brake in time and get around them, but the women who'd been in front of the crash put the hammer down. Dana and Emily both headed past me, and I watched them head off into the proverbial sunset with eight other women. "Great! At least we've got two in the top 10," I thought.
I started looking around for others to work with. I could see a SugarCRM up ahead but she was hauling ass to try to catch back on -- I could keep pace with her but couldn't bridge up. Katie passed me and I couldn't get on her wheel. I finally caught up with a Velo Bella named Jamie. Soon we were passed by Anne Findlay, who was effortlessly leaving us in her dust. Tri-Flow Lori also caught on. Jamie, Lori, and I spent the next couple of miles trying to bridge up to Anne. We finally caught her around the highway overpass, but I had burned at least one match, if not more, in the process. I had very little left, and struggled to keep up with them; they dropped me through the last rollers on the west side of the course.
Fortunately for me, the W1/2s passed us just then, so Anne and Jamie were effectively neutralized. Lori and I were able to catch back up to them so we were a group of four once more. But then the W1/2s were going really slowly; we were trapped behind them, and worried about getting caught by other stragglers in our field. We decided to pass the W1/2s, and did so just before the turn onto the final stretch.
It wasn't long before Laurie Fenech led the W1/2s past us again, but at least it was good that we gave it a try. I struggled up the hill at mile 14 (well, mile 37 at this point). I was struggling to keep up with Anne and Jamie, who were taking turns pulling hard at the front. I was hoping that I could rest enough to be able to start feeling better and participate in the pace line, but no such luck. I ate, I drank, I hung out in the back, but I never felt any better. A couple of times I tried to pull at the front but couldn't for more than maybe 15 seconds -- I was cooked.
The three of them were very positive and encouraging, and tried to wait for me, but I didn't want them to get caught so I kept telling them to go ahead. Finally they did, and I was on my own, with about six miles to go.
Ugh. Everything hurt. It was like Dunnigan Hills again, only with less energy, and no tailwind. I made myself maintain at least 20mph. I was so excited to see the turn back into town. My momentum was interrupted by a huge SUV that had decided to pull out of the race parking lot at that very moment, right into my path. I growled "race course!" at them and went around. I kept up my pace across the bridge, but at the feed zone, I fell apart. Only like 200 meters left to go, and I was afraid I wasn't going to make it; if I'd had the energy to cry, I might have done so. I kept looking behind me, but no one was there. At least I wouldn't have to get out of the saddle... although I'm not sure I've ever hated my saddle more than at that moment.
I turned toward the finish line. Lorri, Lala, and Steve Woo were all cheering for me. It felt like it was all I could do to pedal across the line.
It was like a rerun of last year -- all of the things I did wrong last year, I did again this year: spent too much time in the wind, worked too hard to (unsuccessfully) chase back on. And surprise surprise, I got the same results -- fell off at the same place, felt like crap at the end of the race.
I did better at nutrition than I did at Dunnigan Hills last weekend. Yesterday during our pre-ride I picked places where I was going to eat. I didn't always eat in those exact spots, but those spots did remind me to eat so I tried to eat/drink as soon afterward as I could conveniently do so.
Yuck.
Boo.
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