Velocity consisted of a TT/Crit/RR over a 2 day period.
I was able to ride strong for the short TT circuit & take the win & overall GC lead for the first event.
In the crit I wrestled with trying to protect my GC by marking riders & also trying to remain in contention for a potential podium. Ended up burning too many matches & placed mid park with GC lead in tact.
Road race was vicious. 4 laps 90km total with horrendous cross winds & head winds that took a toll on all Categories today.
Being the only Top Gear/Road racer in cat4 this weekend I had a difficult time protecting GC & remaining in contention for the win.
It seemed as though I was being marked by certain teams in the group that waited for me to make a play. A few breaks tried to get away in the first 3 laps but were shut down by the pack.
the main pack allowed (Maybe I'm wrong) a 5 man group to pull away on the beginning of the 4th final lap. Trying to be disciplined I watched them drift ahead thinking that the wind would be too much. If it wasn't hopefully they wouldn't be to far away for me to bridge to them & then make a final attack.
They ended up gaining time on the group & I realized I was in a real dilemma. Attack to bridge & get caught or get away. A synergy rider had already tried bridging & was between the peloton & the breakaway. I waited for the cross/tail wind section to start which was about half way into the lap & I attacked. I was able to bridge to the synergy rider & then we pushed the pace to try & stay away.
We passed a few guys who popped from the break away & it looked as though we would be racing for 3rd/4th place.
I took the final turn which would lead to an approximate 1.2 kilometer cross windy section to the finish & when I was just about to finish the turn a cross wind gust seemed to of caught my 808 rear perfectly & I flew into the ditch.
Some roadrash & some psychological struggles I was back onto my bike for a very disappointing solo ride to the finish. I'm sure I got bounced out of Top ten in the GC with the crash as a bunch of guys passed me.
Overall I am happy with the performance this weekend. Protecting GC even in a cat4 race with no teammates is no easy task. I am learning that this can be a daunting responsibility & difficult to balance if you want to win races as well as GC.
Learning about wheel choice with strong cross winds & maybe thinking a clincher is better than a tubular in road racing for braking is another good lesson. Aluminum braking surface may be the best way for better control especially in crits & Road races.
All in all not sure if I earned enough points to move into Cat3 but we will soon find out.
If not keep trucking in Cat4!
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