Friday, September 07, 2007

2 Training Race in Pics

Check your equipment!

Chat with riders to relax


And.... Race Begins!

Get on a breakaway like a good boy! Be at a higher level of existance...feel thrilled about it...




Keep the front position

Make riders behind you hurt ;)

Make bystanders dumbfounded... I don't know..


Draft for a breather..behind a discovery channel rider :)

Overtake the rider in front in the final sprint - I hit 34pmh not bad for a starter..


Then pose like a star...


You know what? When you have a female counterpart among the watching crowd cheering for you, and a supporting rider offering tips and advice during a race (wow), things actually get less stressful. This training race was fast and I learnt more things, like the importance of staying on the drops, No I mean, I mean IT!!! It saves you like 10% right off the back... And if a breakaway begins to happen, follow your killer instincts and take that rider's wheel. I did, and it felt like being on a different dimension when your way ahead of riders behind you. Slowing down and being caught is another thing, but I enjoyed those 3-4 minutes of rapture. Finally, I found myself in a group of 3 to 4 surviving riders after 19 laps. I was totally in a wrong position to sprint, having to catch up with many wheels. I hit 33 mph and dashed to the front, passing two riders and even a third, a female on the handlebars team inches away from the finish line. It was amazing... I wanted it so badly... I was hungry for a position!!!

I've never raced like this before. Not only did I NOTTT get lapped, I actually performed way better than I thought I could. So with a top 8 position, I was off spinning back home with my friend to take a cold shower and eat an elephant's meal. Later that night, I slept like a toddler.

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like it is coming along. Great job. I have been forcing myself to stay on the drops the whole race. It was hard at first, but is definitely a much better position for hammering.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, I have come to believe the amazing efficacy of staying on the drops. I have been toying with my saddle fore aft position to be comfy with the drops...

    ReplyDelete

Thank you. I read every single comment.