I am never sure what to expect the first race of the season. I could say that this was true of the first race last Saturday but in truth, I was even less sure what to expect. But first, I gotta rave about the new ride! Last year, I couldn't say enough about the Fisher Cronus but the Trek 5.5 Madone is a noticeable step up in race performance. The stability in the bottom bracket when I got out of the saddle was remarkable. Everything I put into the pedals was transferred into immediately moving forward without disrupting my line. A few times, I had to get out of the saddle hard partway thru a sweeping right or left hand turn as the front of the pack started accelerating and it felt sweet! Acceleration AND control. Stability and control in the few hard corners was much appreciated on Saturday as well. It was a very cold and windy day and there were several occasions where the folks at the front of the pack in the 30+ race went into corners hard and then eased up when the wind hit their chests. And of course, I and the others in the middle or rear had to quickly change lines, oft times taking a tighter line. The bike felt telepathic - a little more or less pressure and I was immediately on my new line. Very nice transitions in the course's S-curve as well. Now, as a teammate said - to be worthy!
Like I said, I was even less sure what to expect this first race as my winter training has been different. I am less race-ready than I have been, hoping that focus on strength instead of fitness will pay off in mid-season. I have raced at the Black Hawk race track the last couple years - a good place to start the season. It is a serpentine course, flat, flat, flat and usually, the fields are decent sized, a good thing because the March winds are usually the biggest factor. Saturday, the fields were small. The thermometer said "brrrr" and a bunch of folks must have decided to watch Scooby Doo on the Cartoon Network. But the winds said "great day for me to come out and play". The 45+ 1/2/3 field was no more than 15 strong. I settled in, trying to find a place in the line that was a little warmer, less windy. Soon enough, someone decided to give it a go and I gave chase to see what the legs were going to say. They were not encouraging so I throttled back into a "be on a good wheel and be opportunistic" mode which morphed into a "see what happens in the last couple laps" and then on to a "get set for the sprint". On the tailwind section leading into the final corner, I slid up the side that would be protected from the cross wind going into the finish, feeling pretty strong, wondering why others were not moving up. It's a long run into the finish but you won't win from 4th or 5th wheel. Came thru the corner third wheel, tucked in comfortably, a little surprised that the guys on the front had not slid hard left to take away the protected line. Time to jump, outta the saddle and CLICK CLICK CLICK. CRAP! Friday, I adjusted the rear derailleur and it seemed OK but I had not done any hard accelerations in the top gear, just some lower gears and now my derailleur was hopping and skipping and I was not accelerating. Sat down and muttered my way over the line. So what does this bode for the season? A series of brain farts? Or do I see signs of strength? Too soon to tell - on EITHER count! The next race was the 30+ 1/2/3 and is was a little bigger field - maybe 20. I got my derailleur adjusted between races but I was just gonna sit in on this one unless I discovered that I was fitter than I thought. I wasn't. Looked for opportunities to be sneaky but with no staying power yet I was not going to insist.
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