I started about 5 minutes behind the last of the start group. Felt good, wind was either at my back or quartering tailwind, so I was able to hit it pretty good and caught back up to the bigger groups in about 5-6 miles. I was zipping past folks, but I was focused on keeping heart rate under 150 and just pedaling. Picked up a couple of guys who paced off of me for the next 30 or so miles. Mostly was north bound with a tailwind, a few spots we went west and got a little taste of the wind that was going to punish us all the way home... Didn't stop at the rest areas until mile 34. Averaged almost 20mph on the outbound leg.

About a mile past the rest stop the route turned west for a few miles and then south. The south wind was brutal - 20mph with 30mph gusts (I had to look it up when I got home...) It was really just put the head down, grit the teeth and keep turning the pedals. My "fave" was the hills on the southbound leg. I looked down going up one of the hills and I was hammering a smooth 7.5mph! Funny part was there was half a dozen other riders drafting off of me. That was pretty much the story of the last part of the race - just crank it out.. I did make a couple of stops on the way back - I needed some cookies :)

Oh yeah, about 10-15 miles out from the end, my back wheel came bad out of true and was bouncing from brake pad to brake pad (even with the tension released on the caliper). Nothing else to do, it was just gut it out to the finish by then....

Nothing.

Two hot dogs and some gatorade....


wind. I will say that I considered either hitting the CT today or dropping back to one of the shorter routes but didn't do that. Come race day, you don't get to choose the weather. I learned alot today about being mentally tough during adverse conditions.


Good rally, I'll do it again...