.....where are you legs???
This past weekend I set to go race the second NRC race in Fresno California. This was the second year Fresno has hosted the “Central Valley Stage Race” and it was a rough one for me.
The opening stage was a 110-mile road race with 2600 ft a climbing per lap. 5k into the race we started to climb and climb and climb. When I got over the last climb, I thought to myself, okay I can do this 2 more times and make it to the finish with the group, however the next time around I was drop about 100m from the top of the final climb. I chased for 1 lap and after being told I was down 33mintues and still had a lap to go, I pulled out of the race.
Little did I know half of my team was already out the race and it made me even more disappointed to see us all at the team cars while the race was still going on.
It was pretty embarrassing and I felt ashamed to have pulled out but I just didn’t have it in my legs to keep going. I think my training is okay; I just don’t have any races in my legs compared to the rest of the peloton.
So I go back home and race the Tour of Murrieta. The crit was crazy; I got there and registered as the race was lining up. Hopped right in and started racing. A break gets away with one of my teammates and before you know it guys are coming back to the group very fast and it was because of crashes and flats. The lead group of 12 turned into 5 because they all crashed each other out including Sterling who broke his bike in the ordeal. So I won the field sprint for 6th and went home empty handed.
Sunday was a RR just a few blocks from where the crit was held the day before. It was actually a pretty nice course. Flat to rolling but the big factor was the wind and heat. It was about 99 degrees at the start. Once again another break went up the road with 2nd and 3rd on GC in the break with the 1st place rider in my group with 7 teammates. I played it cool to see if they would bring it back but they failed and by doing that they gave the race away to 45 year old Chris Walker. I won the field sprint and that gave me 5th overall G.C.
I hope my legs start to come around for Redlands so I can use that as leverage into the Tour of Georgia.