First Crit: I tested my legs out a little bit by being pretty active throughout the race. I felt good, but did not have the legs or position to do well in the sprint. I ended up finishing mid-pack.
Second Crit: I felt absolutely horrible at the beginning due to the first race and the heat. I basically did no work throughout the race except to help bring back a break that started to appear dangerous. Instead of actually working to bring it back, I jumped off the front to try to bridge it and got a reaction from the pack. I sat on for the rest of the race, found a good wheel and sprinted for 2nd. Best race of the season so far.
Road Race: Once again, I sat in for most of the race. There were a few instances where I had to jump to make sure the team was represented in ‘breaks’ but nothing ever had a chance of escaping. My climber teammates pushed the pace really hard up the hills but the hills just weren’t long enough to break up the pack. It was super hot and I ended up finishing 3 bottles in less than 3hrs. It came down to a field sprint and I was decently positioned but my chain dropped just as I started to accelerate. I’ll definitely need to have a look at that before the next race.
My training right now isn’t so great because of school and weather. I’m taking 3 days off in a row because I really need to get some work done and it’s been extremely windy. Is this bad for my performance? Probably, but my biggest concern right now is preventing another burnout. If riding isn’t going to be at least a little bit enjoyable, a rest day should be in order.
Things are going well, and I can’t wait for Summer racing!
