Pindung County - 28 Feb 2008

This was my first race back and my first race with my new team: CKT. I will start another thread about my new frame later.

And now a word from our sponsor: It's the all new EXCUSE-O-MATIC! No matter what the occasion just thwack the dial and the all new EXCUSE-O-MATIC will spit out a totally useful excuse for you.*

*Not suitable for all ages.

I've been working my arse off for the last 2 weeks and my training has suffered. I knew this going in so adjusted my goals. Results weren't important. I wanted to define roles and execute tactics. I also like to sell swampland in Florida.

The race was a breezy affair. There was a 94km (shortened?) section of gentle rollers and flat flats followed by a 16km climb with tons of pitches above 10%. The latter part was certainly not designed with me in mind. (Unless it was designed by my wife to torture me).

All of the cats started together (it was a point-to-point) so there were over 600 riders. I staged late and so had to start near the back. During the neutral I managed to work my way to the very front where I had a short time to catch up with an old team mate. Then the lead motos pulled off and we were racing.

I always need a good hard jump to open my legs and today was no exception. At 2km in I saw another former team mate jump and so I decided to bridge. This I did, then we both sat up and now we had a brief chance to catch up before we were swamped by the group.

He told me he'd gone to Singapore to have some surgery done on his knee and today was the first test. He then told me he was going to drop out before the climb so I shouldn't follow him. I then asked him what the hell made him ever think I would try to follow him on a climb. We laughed. We cried. Good times.

Because the course was so unfavourable to me and all the cats were racing together, I told my team mates that I would do what I could to keep the group together so they could sit in and fight for a podium spot on the climb. This is what I set about doing.

There was a series of attacks which produced a series of doomed breaks. The Tiachung County team was controlling the front pretty well. But then one of their guys would go in a move and they would have 4 guys at the front setting false tempo. I watched a few breaks start to roll away from us and each time I got to the front and put my head down.

I selected a 13-26 because of the climbing. I found myself spun out as we maintained 50km/h+ on the flats and I topped out at 59km/h. I know exactly when this happened because I had spun out my 13. I actually wanted my 12. Who'd a thunk it?

This went on until we hit the bottom of the climb and the road pitched up above 10%. I fought to hang on but I eventually popped. I struggled to hang on but felt like I was sliding backwards as rider after rider I hadn't seen all day rode away from me.

I finished mid-fodder. At least I never saw the back marker.

I probably could have done better on the climb if I'd sat in (maybe main fodder group) but it really wouldn't have done much for me. I had one team mate who was second in his cat, another 4th and a third was 6th. We also lost one rider to a crash.

All in all it was exactly what a first race should be. I was active at the front, got some good jersey time (although a camera truck almost took us all down when the driver decided it would make a better shot if he switched from the right side of the road to the left while he was 5 feet in front of the lead rider. Idjit.) and got a good idea of what I have in the tank. I can now adjust my training accordingly.

Time: 2:32
NP: 296
Max HR: I may have discovered a new high (208?) but I think it was interference from some Taiwan Radar jamming station pointing at a mainland Chinese fighter buzzing their airspace.
Result: I don't think they have numbers that go that high in Chinese.