Not a bad race, but not a great race, either, based on how strong I was feeling. The track was still damp, but the rain held off. Nice temps, a little wind, but again, the protection of the trees makes a big difference.
In the first lap, an attack happened on the hill on the backside, but I was ready for it. I was positioned well, and didn't even feel like it was really an attack. Nice way to start, with confidence. The prime was around lap 5, and I learned from last week, not killing myself for it. I was sitting in, and the field of 13 was slowly shrinking. I didn't want to repeat another mistake--spending too much time chasing. Consequently, I did a better job staying on people's wheels. After that first lap, there weren't any true attacks until the final lap. In hindsight, I realize I should have expended some energy, seen if I could shake things up. I was feeling strong enough, but I just didn't want to kill myself again. Well, it came down to 8 of us together for the finish. I had to take a bad line through the last corner, attempting to pick people off rather than being stuck at the back of the field. It worked. I was even able to make one more pass during the last yards, but then gave up 4th to Tricia of Summit Freewheelers, who had a better sprint. I'm learning there's a fine line between aggression and patience. This time, I was too patient. I plan to make my next race the one where I calculate my strength better, and make controlled attacks. Let's see if I can execute!
