First race of the season, take 2
The first race of the year is always a bit of a shock. No idea how your winter training is going to hold up, and no matter how hard those early intervals have been, they aren't going to be as hard as the first time the pack decides to pick up the pace in a serious way.
We made our first team outing of the season in the CRCA B field on March 11th. Ann-Marie, Caro and I raced, while Maggie protected us from the other crazy people in Central Park at 7am. The three of us, joined by several other women riders, promptly remembered the difference between the men's fields and the women's fields when the guys took off at the line.* By the time we hit the Harlem Hill, we were all dangling off the back and it was pure willpower to avoid getting dropped in the first 7 minutes of the race.
But that put my head back in the game pretty damn fast, and several of us clawed our way back into the field and into sweet spots up toward the front of the group.
I have to confess, I did sit up before the sprint rather than take the chance of getting mixed up in a first-race crash. There was no crash, which was excellent, and I remained in good health for my parents 40th anniversary party later that day. Priorities, eh?
All in all, a good morning for some, a wake-up call for others. But after a winter of long miles and solo efforts, it was wonderfully refreshing to be back in the field. Good fun and nice work by everyone.
* It's pretty common for the women to be sent off first in the park, waiting to be passed by the field behind them before really picking up the speed. Sad but true.
We made our first team outing of the season in the CRCA B field on March 11th. Ann-Marie, Caro and I raced, while Maggie protected us from the other crazy people in Central Park at 7am. The three of us, joined by several other women riders, promptly remembered the difference between the men's fields and the women's fields when the guys took off at the line.* By the time we hit the Harlem Hill, we were all dangling off the back and it was pure willpower to avoid getting dropped in the first 7 minutes of the race.
But that put my head back in the game pretty damn fast, and several of us clawed our way back into the field and into sweet spots up toward the front of the group.
I have to confess, I did sit up before the sprint rather than take the chance of getting mixed up in a first-race crash. There was no crash, which was excellent, and I remained in good health for my parents 40th anniversary party later that day. Priorities, eh?
All in all, a good morning for some, a wake-up call for others. But after a winter of long miles and solo efforts, it was wonderfully refreshing to be back in the field. Good fun and nice work by everyone.
* It's pretty common for the women to be sent off first in the park, waiting to be passed by the field behind them before really picking up the speed. Sad but true.
posted by liz at 12:34 PM
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