Driving to the race, we drove up one of the race course's "short hills", it wasn't so short, but according to Jim it was more of my type of climbing. I am learning what kind of courses suit me, I like to think it's just a matter of pedaling your bike, but I am growing as a cyclist, and that includes learning the different types of courses, climbs, races, racers, etc.
Anyway, I had a false sense of ease today after speaking with Jim who said the course was "easier" than Day 1 of Estrusca. I beg to differ. It was just as hard, I just learned from my mistakes yesterday, and I am learning what it takes to race over here. The other girls said it was a tough race too, so that gives me a sense of improvement in my racing. I have learned that it doesn't matter whether its a World Cup or a UCI – they are both full throttle.
The whole race is a big blur. I don't really know what climbs happened when or anything else about the course. My radio didn't work either, so I had only the vaguest of ideas of what was ahead – and you know how your brain becomes the size of a peanut when you are racing hard. Its always good not to be too dependent on the radio, so I wasn't completely freaking out about it. I actually didn't have time to think about it.
Anyway, I had a false sense of ease today after speaking with Jim who said the course was "easier" than Day 1 of Estrusca. I beg to differ. It was just as hard, I just learned from my mistakes yesterday, and I am learning what it takes to race over here. The other girls said it was a tough race too, so that gives me a sense of improvement in my racing. I have learned that it doesn't matter whether its a World Cup or a UCI – they are both full throttle.
The whole race is a big blur. I don't really know what climbs happened when or anything else about the course. My radio didn't work either, so I had only the vaguest of ideas of what was ahead – and you know how your brain becomes the size of a peanut when you are racing hard. Its always good not to be too dependent on the radio, so I wasn't completely freaking out about it. I actually didn't have time to think about it.
At one point I got sick of the group and decided to do a little off-roading. Actually, a crash happened right in front of me, and I saw a girl take a right into what appeared to be a street, but it was actually just a dirt parking lot. It was "exciting". I kept riding, pedaling hard, hoping that the 6 inch curb/divider would drop down so I could joing the pack again. Nothing. I kept searching, scanning ahead - nothing looked promising. Utoh! I hope I don't turn off onto another street. I thought for sure it would merge. It didn't. Some of the girls got off their bikes and hopped the curb, I kept riding (this was about 50o+meters) and eventually I saw that there was an entry to the lot way off to the right (the group was on the left), so I veered off, and eventually found my way to the peloton, right as the last girls were passing by. If I had missed the pack by just a couple more seconds it might have been a different story. The other girls who hopped off their bikes I don't think were as lucky - the dismounts and remounts took too long.
I couldn't believe when I looked down at my computer and saw "50km". I thought "That must be wrong! We must be close to finishing!" As I said: it was a hard, fast race. There was one climb that brought us up to another one of those mountain top towns, then we descended single file through a twisty decent, and we came around a corner into another little climb – shoot! I was waaaayyyy to far back. I got gapped off, but I fought hard; I fought through the cars, with a little help from a few girls (but I wasn't going to trust them to do the work, because we know where that got me yesterday) and I got back to the group. I made it back on, "settled" into the group, and then we went up another climb, broke things up, I ended up climbing hard, falling off the back a bit, but catching back on after the descent (really hard to catch these women once you fall off!) Then I made it up the final climb to the finish. I finished! Baby steps, I guess. I still made mistakes and of course there is so much to learn.
~ Megan
I couldn't believe when I looked down at my computer and saw "50km". I thought "That must be wrong! We must be close to finishing!" As I said: it was a hard, fast race. There was one climb that brought us up to another one of those mountain top towns, then we descended single file through a twisty decent, and we came around a corner into another little climb – shoot! I was waaaayyyy to far back. I got gapped off, but I fought hard; I fought through the cars, with a little help from a few girls (but I wasn't going to trust them to do the work, because we know where that got me yesterday) and I got back to the group. I made it back on, "settled" into the group, and then we went up another climb, broke things up, I ended up climbing hard, falling off the back a bit, but catching back on after the descent (really hard to catch these women once you fall off!) Then I made it up the final climb to the finish. I finished! Baby steps, I guess. I still made mistakes and of course there is so much to learn.
~ Megan
No comments:
Post a Comment