Mothballs wrap-up

Well, Mothballs has come and gone and this year I was finally able to race it. The first year I went out for the race my field had reached its limit. The second year I was sick. This year I pre-registered, then I got sick. I was able to get well enough to get a weeks worth of riding in and race in the CAT 5.

This being my first race on pavement, I was out there just trying to finish and not crash. Two goals I figured I could achieve. I have to say the field did not want me to achieve those goals. As expected, CAT 5 is a mix of good riders that don’t race very often and beginners that are strong but obviously don’t ride in a group on a regular basis. I counted at least 4 crashes and a slurry of other incidents.

The pace was high from the start and never did the field relax for a lap or two. My average speed was 26.1 mph, not slow. I started out on the outside so as to avoid any chaos of the first turn and I drifted towards the back of the pack and got my bearings. After 3 or 4 laps I decided to test myself and move up a bit. I ended up on the front for a lap but as we crossed the start/finish, my lack of endurance and training time caught up with me and I drifted back to the rear. I moved to the middle and stayed a while. About 20 minutes in I moved towards the front again as an attack was trying to take shape. I got back on the front for a lap and half and repeat my retreat to the rear. At this point I tried to rest a bit and draft to save some energy for the sprint.

When the 5 laps to go warning came I started trying to gain a portion of the field every lap to get into good position. By the final lap I was almost where I wanted to be, then a large crash on the back stretch split the field into 2. I narrowly avoid a bouncing bike and got on the gas to bridge to the lead group. Once there I rested as best I could for a moment and we came to the final turn. I had notice (and not liked) that people were coming into the turns tight, slamming on the brakes and then standing up to regain their momentum. I was sitting nicely on the outside and chose to swing very wide, carry more speed and gain more positions. This calculation worked and I moved from the back of the lead group to the middle. I made and initial sprint gaining more spots, rested a second and then made a final effort for the last 30 meters or so. The effort paid off with a 7th place finish and a 36 mph sprint.

Overall, I am very pleased with my result. I figured I was going out there to get my ass handed to me and in many ways I did. I know what I need to work on and I think I know how I am going to do it. I just have to get rid of this cough. Good show.