Our photographer for the day, Steve (aka, the Colonel)
Simply put, we had a great ride. About 80k or so on awesome bump gobbling bikes; what more can you ask for in November? Lovely. There won't be many more opportunities like this until spring. With the position dialed in, the Truffle Pig was terrific, and I felt fresh once back home. Perhaps counter-intuitive, the lower position is far more comfortable for my lower back and neck. I was pretty psyched for Sunday's race with the bike ready to rip.
And it did. Out in Renfrew this morning, the Truffle Pig seemed to be in its element. Neil was just back from Europe, and managed to ride a scorching first lap with me in tow. The course was laid out over an equestrian park and, unlike Nepean, was rather bumpy. However, I knew my TP's curved seatstays would provide an edge coupled with my tubulars; I'd be able to keep the power down over the bumps, or at least that was the plan.
It worked. I wound up with Imad and Mark Boudreau, 'chasing' Derrick St. John, Evan McNeely and Warren McDonald. After proceeding with the other two for a couple laps, I could see that I had a substantial gap on anyone who was possible a Master A rider, so I eased up and stopped chasing their wheels, settled into my tempo, and rode the rest of the race strong and consistently. And it was fun, no sucking. I thus managed to attain the win I was after, which makes the overall series win mathematically possible. I did all I could today; all I can do is show up next week in Kingston and hope for the best. Its going to be exciting!
Jamie suffered a rolled tubular today, possible due to Stan's sealant inside, Rob rode strong, Rodd faded from the bone rattling, Neil eased up after realizing being off the bike for a few weeks really does eat into your fitness, and Jim simply had a rough day after a long day of work on Saturday and very little sleep. Mike and Glenn ripped it up in the first race, and I'll have to wait to see how that worked out; they both seemed content.
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2 comments:
A similar experience here on Saturday... the first 30km was a head-down, balls-out slog directly into the cold wind on 6th line. Conversation took the form of the odd yelp while taking your turn in the wind. Easy going from there, but certainly a bit punch drunk for the rest of the ride. Our bakery stop in Moffat found us some still-warm quiches. The lack of indoor seating saw us freezing our nuts off on the porch and for the first 5km back on the road. Dirty Movember 'stache insults were being thrown around recklessly. The highlight was navigating the mammoth topsoil stockpile for a bridge construction on Lower Baseline. Very adventurous for our skinny tires... Great to hear you guys are still managing to get out on the road even with the rammed cross schedule.
Awesome job Sunday Matt...you are gonna make Dunxcan have to work for it !
I managed 4th (again) ...seem to have a hard time breaking that barrier. This time I can thank JC - (has a massive power roadie physique) who has really come uout fighting the last few races. And also Steve Proulx...nuff said.
Funny in looking at the point rankings you can see how when there is a group at similar abilities - the methodology for point accumulation palys a HUGE factor ! Some of my races result in 30-60 seconds behind the winner but only 13-14 points...meanwhile others might be 1-3 minutes back of me but still get 11-13 points. : - (
OK that's my whine for today! : - )
See ya in K-town....
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