First Race

The first race of the season is always interesting. It happened to be a Buck Hill Thursday night race this year, but I still had some of the anxiety. Once I got to the venue the butterflies subsided as I got to meet some of the familiar folks from last season. The weather was perfect, and the advanced group was loaded with approximately 75 riders. At the start I was most the way in the back and had to fight my way up until we went single file into the woods. The legs were a little heavy, but it wasn't a surprise. The warm-up lap 'informed' me that I needed some more rest after a hard ride Monday night. Lap 1 I was pushing it pretty hard, and keeping good position. In the back single track there was a surge from a group behind and I felt like I was going to blow. I was able to maintain, but I knew I needed to sit back on lap 2 or I was going to be done. Lap 2 was rehydration and a gel to get my blood sugar up. Lap 3 I was starting to come back. I changed from a spin to a masher gear and did the climbs standing up. Lap 4 was more of the same with passing a couple people along the way. Finish time was just under 66 minutes. My goal was an hour, but didn't have it in me. Without the 2 crashes and better fueling, I think I could be there by next week.