Tuesday Night at the Oval

Reasonable weather tonight, with temps in the low 80s with a bit of wind, and a large group of 29 racers. The pace was, as usual, fast from the start, and within two laps, there was a selection, and I was not in it. A few laps later, my group decided to have a go at bridging, and up, up, up went the pace and down, down, down went the power in my legs. Lickity-split, and I was off the back, in the company of several other riders. We organized quickly, and maintained a reasonable pace. I was having lots of trouble with my pulls, and after five or so laps, I knew we were doomed, and I sat up. A lap later and caught back on to the main group, where I stayed, for the most part for the remainder of the race. There were a few squirrelly riders in the group (including me, once), and some folks do really have a problem holding a line.

Another break went, and there was a slight splintering of the group as the chase started. This didn’t last long, and I managed to grab a wheel and chase back on. Just like last week, the chase was not at all organized, with the speed going up and down, up and down. A few folks attempted to bridge, but the wind and the pace of the break had them coming up empty. I managed to hold the pace on the bell lap (though, to be fair, it was slower than the first five laps) and put it a reasonable sprint to move up to 17th, I think. Eh, not bad.

I have to be able to survive the selection laps to finish on the lead lap. The pace drops considerably, and I seem to be about two laps away from holding on. I’d also feel more motivated to work more in the group if I was on their lap–I feel a bit odd trying to move to the front when I’m a lap down. It’d also be fun to contest the sprint a bit more, too.