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Old 06-17-21, 02:10 PM
  #55  
cmh
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Portland, OR
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Originally Posted by cmh
2nd week of the same short circuit race I won last week (It is a 6 week series) - 2nd place this week. The race played out similarly, but was a little easier pace, which played out well for the winner who is a really good sprinter for 50+. Same as last week, I pushed hard the 2nd half of the hill and over the top on a couple laps to try to make it harder, but not many others wanted to push the pace. A rider started the sprint really early (400m out), kinda forcing me to jump hard to catch his wheel. I came around him with 150meters to go, but the winner had caught my wheel and passed me fast at the same time winning by several bike lengths. The winner is a close friend, sometimes training partner, and was a teammate of mine for years. He nearly always beats me in a sprint, especially if it is uphill since I outweigh him by ~30 lbs, and in fact, last week was the first time I outsprinted him in a race in a long, long time. So, I'm going to have to figure out how to get a break going without him to win this again and try to hold my series lead. All good fun.

I doubled up this week racing the 40+ after my 50+ race and it hurt as much as I thought it would. I kept with the lead group (although gapped a couple times and had to chase back on the descent) and was there for the finish. Since I didn't think I had much left to contest a sprint in this group I jumped at ~600 meters to go, thinking it was a long shot, and would keep the pace high and safe for everyone. Predictably, I got a gap, but was swamped at about 200 to go and limped across the line back of the pack.
Race three, 50+, in the same series was really hard off the line forming a break of 6 on lap one. This race I had a teammate who also made the front group of 6. He attacked with a lap to go intending to make the rest of the group chase so I could sit in and take the win in the final sprint. Turns out, he stayed away and won, and I took second, winning the sprint from the remaining 5 a couple bike lengths behind him.

I also doubled up doing the 40+ race afterwards. I attacked with 2 laps to go to bridge up to another rider that had been up the road for 1/2 a lap. Unfortunately, he had almost nothing left when I caught him. He got on my wheel but couldn't come through and I dropped him as soon as we started uphill. I got swallowed by the field with about 200m to go and finished mid to back of the group. It was a fun effort.
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