http://app.strava.com/activities/41166701
Second year doing this race. Flatted out last year. It's a good early season course. 70 miles, mostly flat. Finish is about 9 to 11 minutes of rollers. Strings out the field real good, makes the finish safer.
Plan for this race was to stay in zone 2 as much possible. Avoid burning any matches until the finish. Focus on pack position, riding smooth, breathing, eating and drinking.
Race started out really slow. Took a lot of self control to just sit in. Was feeling good and really wanted to stretch my legs out. Saved it though.
Wasn't until about half way into the race that a serious break started to form. Eventually got to be 6 riders off the front, all the other major teams represented. Looking strong. I didn't like it. Sprinted off the front of the pack to join them. Closed down about half the gap, glanced back, saw I had the field strung out behind me. Screw that. Pulled off and fortunately, the two guys behind me finished the job.
Last 10 miles of the race, two guys were off the front (new Leopard team and Bolthouse Farms). Was looking like they were going to make it stick. However, teammate Eric Chi and a guy from Squadra SF (they had two others in the field) sacrificed themselves on the front to close it down.
I was second wheel going into the rollers (last 3 miles) and still feeling 100% fresh. At that point, it was just a matter of following the attacks and avoiding people that had detonated, were heading backwards. Then turning myself inside out in the last 200m.
Crossed the line in second place. Inches from winning!
Huge result for me. In about 30 races I'd never gotten better then 9th place before. Finally got a damn VeloPromo t-shirt!
Big thanks to Eric Chi, Clark's training plan, the Carmel Valley Camp and The Palo Alto Morning Ride.
