This weekend was my first ever stage race and what a blast! I won the XC event on Sunday and got 2nd place missing Adam Sulkowski by 28 seconds over 3 hours of racing!
The weekend was a battle from the get-go! The time trial was Saturday morning - Stage 1 and it was pretty short and technical! I had a good loop but ended up 40 seconds back from Adam after two chain slips and running three hills as a result of not knowing the trail, slippery gravel and just nerves! I found that it is tough to settle in on a 30 minute sprint and relax to focus on technique!
In the afternoon there was a 5 lap short track race! Most of the guys in the front for sport were on cross bikes! The course was all grass and a short pavement section. I crossed the finish line 3rd and picked up 10 seconds on Adam -- NOT TOO SHABBY!
Sunday morning came and I was feeling great! I knew that we had a 23 mile ride ahead and that all I had to do was gap Adam by 30 seconds and first place was mine! Well, Adam knew that too and he raced that strategy!
I went out hard and settled in having a solid first two laps! The third loop took it's toll and I fell off my pace a bit. I finished strong and beat Adam to the finish line winning my class that day but Adam grabbed the stage victory!
I had a blast! I have gone from 7th in my age group in Sport 30-34 in the first race of the year to 4th at Yankee, 2nd at Custer and a win here with a three minute gap in the XC race to the 3rd place guy behind Adam and I!
I am making a ton of progress and am looking forward to jumping up to expert class soon!
Next weekend I may be racing at Bloomer Park! We will see what happens! Looking forward to the bike fest!
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