A Group then B Group...A Better Strategy

Tuesday racing on a perfect night in the mid-70s with low humidity and a gorgeous sky. I started off tired, and ended up chastened.

Tonight we did the Brooktondale course. I contemplated joining the B group for both of the 8.5 mile laps, but then someone suggested that I alternate. Great idea, really—I can certainly hang with the A group, but I don't have the horsepower to make any moves toward the end. My hope was that the B group would give me more of a fighting chance to make a move toward the end, which ended up being the case.

On the A group lap, there was a breakaway of 4 cyclists, and I was getting increasingly frustrated by the peleton's unwillingness to make any moves to bridge the gap with only 2 or 3 miles remaining. I really regret the move that I made, as I crossed the meridian briefly to make a move to pull toward the leaders—I honestly wasn't thinking about safety and the rules we all need to abide by. It didn't matter that this was a straight section of road with no traffic anywhere in sight, I just wasn't thinking, and I've been beating myself up for this ever since getting a well-deserved warning. I have so much to learn and nothing can replace experience. My tendency to want to master something quickly is getting the better of me, and it's time to just sloooooooow down and keep plugging away.

The B group lap was a much better experience. I really did feel like I had more power and flexibility in that field, and I was able to make a few attacks. I finished in 4th or so, not a bad way to end a humbling evening. 

A Group Race Metrics

A group or B group?

After being subscribed to the "Cookies" racing team listserv for just two days, I must admit that I'm fairly overwhelmed by the friendly and supportive welcome I've received. It's definitely an intensive immersion into a world that I previously knew so little about.

Today I decided to race the Tour de Syracuse Road Race on May 23rd, a 55 mile, 2-lap event. This gives me a few weeks to get prepared, and it should be load of fun.

Tonight was another fun Tuesday night race, and once again I joined the A group. I'm beginning to think that I need to try the B group, since I tend to get dropped just at the end of each lap, and I'm thinking that the B group would help me to better learn tactics. I can't say that I'm disappointed with how I did—I was feeling so much stronger than the last Tuesday race, and I'm learning better about when to push and when to hold back. Still, I think I'll learn more from a few turns with the B group. I averaged 23.4 mph on lap 1 and 22.3 on the second, so I'm definitely getting faster.

Photo by Keith Thompson.