Jordan and I drove down to Madison for a 50 mile WISPORT road race Saturday. Jordan didn't plan to race, but kept me company.
The weather was perfect, and there were a lot of riders I didn't recognise. Great Dane Velo had a full squad of Cat 1/2's. The course was 3 laps, rolling hills, and some narrow roads.
I rode up front during the first lap, and covered constant attacks from Great Dane riders and Jim Moore. After the first lap, I looked back, and the group was still huge. I decided to rest a while and sat in for most of the 2nd lap. Great Dane continued to launch attacks, with Jim Moore never dropping back farther than about 4th wheel.
At the start of the 3rd lap, there were still around 50 riders in the front group. I moved up towards the front and tucked in. It was difficult to maintain position with people constantly moving up over the yellow line, and the roads on the 2nd half of the course being very narrow.
Coming into the finish, there is a small rise, then a decent, and a right turn to the finish up a gradual grade. At this point, Great Dane had a rider just off the front. I knew the final climb would be tough, but I dug deep, and stayed up towards the front. It was a little dicey coming into the final turn, but I made it through in about 12th position, with the Great Dane rider still just ahead.
I was able to make it to Moore's wheel as he opened his sprint. We came up on some slower riders, and he chose to go left, while I went right. It was a tough uphill sprint, and my legs gave out before the line. The best I could manage was 6th. The Great Dane rider Frank Dierking stayed away for the win, and one of his teammates was 2nd. Moore finished an impressive 4th, especially considering how much work he did up front.
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