Post date: Jul 18, 2010 3:10:20 AM
Saturday's road race was a four mile flat circuit, with a mile stretch of dirt, gravel and lots of potholes, in addition to the 20+ mph wind gusts. The D's: Bryce, Mark, Ian, Fred, Jesse and myself were working on some echelon tactics before the race. At one point in the race we had myself, Jesse, Bryce and Mark on the front, controlling the tempo of the race, and taking up the entire course, but we were unsure of what to do next. So, we started to mix it up, to let other teams take some pulls.
I gained a bit more confidence by going for two breakaways during the race. Mark bridged me up to a Northwestern guy, which was chased down fast. Then, on the third lap I went off the front by myself, on the tailwind portion of the course. I regrouped with two other riders that chased me down, who were willing to work together, but my legs gave out and I was dropped. Too bad, since the breakaway kept till the finish.
Sunday's criterium was a fast course, with two 90 degree turns and two sweeping 90 degree turns. The men's D's raced 20 minutes + 3 laps, with a points lap at 5 minutes to go. I took Waylon's advice (given before my first race at Depauw) and stayed near the second position throughout the race, conserving my leg strength.
The points lap started with the sound of a cow bell, which I thought meant the final lap. So, I tucked my head down and basically sprinted the entire lap off the front. Too bad for me, because after the lap was over, I stopped pedaling, and guys started flying by me. I bridged myself back to the lead pack, and worked my way towards the front, while trying to recover. I finished third, with a pathetic sprint, something I need to work on, in addition to interval training.
Daniel Chavez