Pace Bend, Saturday - Day 1 Cat3,4 8th/100+ - 31 miles - Good mixed field of 3s and 4s, I stayed in the front 10 the entire race. Race started with a bang as me and 5 others shot up the tailwinded 3 mile section. Like the rest of the breaks that day, the pack eventually clawed us back in though by the time we passed the finish on the first lap. The next 2 laps went this same way, with a group of us flying off the front, and the large mixed pack then clawing us back in. On the third lap, we had a break with the riders who would eventually finish 1, 3, 7, 8 (Me, M. Aguilar, S Poncik, and Canyon). This one should have stuck, but didn't the others wouldn't work hard enough. In hindsight, I should have worked harder to make this stick, even if it meant burying myself for a while. 4th would have been better than 8th, and I might have done even better. Lesson: work hard enough in the break to make it stick, even if it means risking something if the pack catches you.
Pace Bend Sunday - Cat 4 - 51 miles - Good field again with a number of strong, should be 3 cat 4's. Teams Dallas Bike Works, Tilt, and Rockwall Racing and a couple others are well represented. Same as day before breaks start out every time on the back straight, a heavy tailwind helps them along. I try for a few, making it to the group each time, but with groups not working fluid enough each time, but we made sure to make it fast enough to hurt the people sitting in the pack going up the hills. With one, big long punishing hill which was right about where we got caught being our main weapon against the big guys every time. 3rd lap around, early on the tailwind sections two guys go up the road. Me and a coupe others work to claw them back within striking distance, but they tire. As we approach the big hill, I know this is my chance to pull back that break, and if I go hard enough the pack may not follow. So, I jump, I nearly reach the two in front and TT up near to them, upon seeing me, they wait up a bit and then we are three. I immediately go to the front and put in a hard pull. I am happy to see Dallas Bike Works and another big team I can't remember right now are represented, limiting who will be chasing us. Soon after we make the sharp right after the tailwind, the chase is one, we hoof it, and only a group of two is able to close and catch us, we add Tilt and someone else solo to our team rerpresentation. We all collaborate through the straight and we've got 30 seconds by the time we hit the tailwind section again. I pull more, lots more, and we are out of sight. At this point we are gone. We drop the one solo guy and then the team I can't remember guy has a mechanical, we try to wait for him, but after the second chain drop, we have to go. We leave him, At this point, it is me, tilt guy, and DBW dude. We work hard through the last few laps, and then know it is between the 3 of us for the end. I feel good, so I put in a couple of attacks on the last lap. I am hoping to just solo off, but the tilt guy works hard to reel me in at about 3k to go. He is toasted at this point though. We settle back in and hold off til 1K to go. I attack again as the hill to the finish starts, Only the DBW dude can bridge, so I ease off a bit, and let him try to outsprint me to the end. I hope my legs hold up so I can pull around him. At 200 m to go, we are both out of the saddle on the steep uphill, I pass him on the left, and accelerate around him to first.
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