Originally Posted by tetonrider

you know that time year-to-year doesn't matter. conditions can vary too much.

how were your 17 & 18 times relative to the top masters (this year vs last)? by looking at the dudes that are really good at this and at the point that they are not gaining (or losing) substantial fitness, you can get a better estimate of how you did on the day.

sometimes a faster time comes off of a worse effort.

looking at top cat 2, 3 or 4 times (year over year) can be misleading as sometimes a rider is blowing through a category, or you have a 20-year old who got so much better in one year in a way a masters rider typically won't.

and those top masters are very, very good.



bike racing is TERRIBLE if you're not into it, not to mention dangerous.

sounds like you did a good job even to finish the whole stage race.

hope you can get back to feeling normal. crashes and injuries suck because the damage to one's mind can linger long after the physical side is healed.