Stay within the lines

I had a great result in the Leland Grand Prix road race last weekend, 2nd in Cat 3's.  The course was suited for me well, a long hilly road race with an uphill finish.  Knowing the Cat 3's, I figured there wasn't going to be a breakaway in the race: no one wants to work with each other, especially on a 90 degree day in May.

My plan - stay in the main pack, don't work too hard, be near the front at the final climb, and let the final climb sort out the field.  It's a good plan, knowing I always do well in the hills.

With 300 meters to go, a rider mid-pack created a small gap, accelerated HARD, crossed the virtual yellow center line all the way to the other side, and sprinted to the finish in 1st place.  Now... at the pre race briefing of EVERY road race, don't the USAC officials talk about the yellow line rule?  They did at this race too, and specifically mentioned this rule applies to the finishing stretch of this race (being an uphill finish, you can't see very far ahead).

Immediately after the race, 6+ riders stopped at the finished line, appealed to the judges, and the rider was relegated to 3rd place (everyone else got dropped pretty hard in the final meters).  Therefore my 3rd place on the road became 2nd.

Had it not been for that rider, and I was able to stay with my plan as stated above, a win could have been in the cards for me.  I was sitting about 3rd in the pack when that rider jumped.  Naturally, I chased after him and another rider grabbed my wheel.  That rider was able to come around me at the line.  Had I been able to sit 3rd wheel until the last 50 meters when I still had a little left to give...

Anyways, I'm very happy with my result - my best for a road race in years - especially since I didn't feel all that great that day.  This weekend - the L'Aple Bl'Huez 10 mile time trial.  7 miles flat and then 3 straight up to the top of Blue Mounds State Park.  No tactics to worry about, just ride hard and fast uphill, which is what I do well!

Thanks for reading,
Curtis