Last time, we rode out 15km to the start and steamed back into town as fast as we could with 15 second gaps. The race director today figured that had a lot of people illegally forming loose bunches, so the course was changed to an out-and-back 15km race with 1 minute between riders.
My main rival for C grade was a no show as was lemmiwinks in B grade. The usual suspects in A grade all looked fit and ready to tear the course up.
I was about 4th away behind the other C graders, trying to pace myself this time as the toughest climbing is all done on the way back into town. In the back of my mind I was thinking that the day was something of a gift without the other faster C graders but I felt pretty good having done a little secret training during the week to get over the mental block I have about the "monument" - a short, sharp hill that does my head in on a bad day and gives me jelly legs.
With a minute gap, the first 6km of the course were much harder than last time - there was nobody visible to chase on the rolling terrain so it was a matter of grinding and keeping half an eye on the speedo to maintain a good overall pace. Then, near the turn around I spotted the other riders starting to compress together fairly closely, with another C grader having already turned and passed me on his way back home. This was all the incentive I needed - once I turned closely behind the others I hoovered them up and set off in pursuit of the final C grader, who I finally caught on the monument. I suppose I was distracted with the effort as before I knew it I had crested that blasted hill and was up shifting into the big ring for the sprint home. Thanks to the 1 minute gaps I ended up as the first rider over the line with a 29:21 and a 3rd win in the C grade club championships.
Just as a comparison, the A grade winner Mick Hoult did the course in 23:12. Yes folks, that's six minutes over 15 kilometres I have to find over the next couple of years
Now, I know from past experience from running that finding 30 seconds a kilometre is hard work but do-able over an extended training period, but I've never had a competitive bone in my body up until this year. It feels weird mentally to want to put yourself in the physical hurt box but this bike racing thing seems to have awakened some strange primal urge I never knew I had. Still wish I was in B grade though.
