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.