jfhende
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Turtle Pond Report 4/25/09Just thought I would share some of my race experiences with ya'll.
After finishing 8th in a 4/5 crit the weekend before I had high hopes for my 1st race at Turtle Pond. I figured the hills would suit me and, while 33 miles is by no means a suffer-fest... I assumed I have been riding more than the average CAT 5 and fitness would be to my advantage.
As I pulled up to the line at 9:20 I was still in good hopes as it looked like I was one of few with shaved legs and several admitted to it being thier first race. The starter sent us on our way and we crawled up the 1st hill "neutral start".
As we circled our first lap I noticed how fast we were going (avg.22mph) but no real effort... the climbs were too short. There was one hard corner which strung the field out and then I had to rush to get back on a wheel but, there was really no worry because the pace was so easy. So I continued to drink my G2 and eat my melted powerbar ball.
I still have flashbacks from the Central NH road race last year that made me think I would have to jump onto a break on the first hill on the 2nd or 3rd lap. As we rounded the corner to start the final lap it happened... 2 riders hammering up the hill. I stood up and tried to catch them. The problem was that I was too far back before the corner to react... only one other tried to chase and he gave up... I continued to burry myself for about 3 minutes before getting swallowed back up by the pack.
After using that much energy my emotions usually take over me and I no longer race smart... this time was no different. I decided to push the pace in an attempt to catch the two riders which eluded me. After a solid 7 mi. effort I didn't have anything left... I was in one more break that didn't have much success. We caught one of the riders from the original break within the last half mile. I pushed as hard as I could at the sprint but, had nothing left finishing a humbling 11th.
Once again I refused to play the rolling chess game and I burnt myself... one of these days I will learn 
On the brighter side, I am currently 2 mass starts away from being able to upgrade to CAT 4... or at least asking.
Up next... Sunapee May 16th... 46 miles of bliss!
Justin
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Joe Homer
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Your Turtle Pond raceHi Justin - Thanks for the update on your Turtle Pond race. As we saw last Thursday, your lack of fitness isn't a problem, as you pulled away going up Sugar Hill. As a single rider w/out team mates in a race positioning and conserving energy are important. Having a stratigy and being able to able to adjust as needed as well as reading the pack come with experience. I know you already know all this stuff. Be positive, stay confident, ride hard! Joe
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