2011 MABRA Age Graded Criterium Championships

Chasing up the hill

7/9/11 - Raced at the MABRA Age Graded Championships. I was a bit nervous for this race since I am a brand new Cat 4 this year, and this race was 35+ Cat 3/4. I  knew the field was going to be fast. Just prior to the start, after warming up on the trainer, I did a few laps on the course to keep my legs warm and to check out the turns. The course looked great. Nice and smooth, not many obstacles (potholes, sewers, etc), nice clean turns, and an uphill that seemed like it was going to be just steep enough to be tough.
From the start, the pace was high. The first 2 laps averaged over 27 mph. After having such a poor performance at the Tour of Washington County, my strategy was to sit in the pack as much as I could, and conserve energy.  With the speeds of the group, there wasn't much conserving going on, and my HR stayed in the 170's most of the time! I did manage to find a spot that didn't seem to move backwards often, and I managed to hold my ground fairly well. in the latter half of the race, on a tight left hand turn, one rider misjudged and hit the outside curb, cartwheeling into the grass. The pace quickened on the final lap (over 28mph average)...and my top speed hit over 37mph! After the final turn, I stood up and sprinted past a few guys and finished 22nd overall. After checking the results, I was the 6th placed Cat 4. I'm definitely pleased with that result.

Post-race analysis: recently, I've been focusing on my diet BIG TIME. After performing poorly at the Tour of Washington County, I was pretty pissed off. It seems the fruits and veggies, and increased protein intake is working well. Also, in the training regimen, I added more interval rides which have been awesome. Also, about a week ago, I tore my wheel hubs apart and cleaned and lubed the bearings (after about 4500 miles) as well as the bottom bracket, and it seems like I can truly feel a difference (maybe it's all psychological, who knows).

Looking forward now, it's time to set my sights on the World Police and Fire Games at the end of August. I'm going to stick with my current training regimen and diet, and hopefully continue to feel this good.