BRITEsport

First race done and dusted.

It was nice to have that feeling of racing again. Like people always say, you can train all you want, but race pace is tough to simulate. It was to be a family day for me as Saskia and my two pups came along for the trip over to Sacramento for the Cal Aggie criterium. I decided that I’d jump right into the season and do 2 races - the Elite 3’s and the P1/2/3 two hours later. I had never done two races in one day before, so I was a bit anxious, but excited for sure.

The 3’s race was good. Smooth for the most part (most important!) and as per usual everyone starts the hustle during the last 4 or 5 laps. It turns out I kind of like the course even with the 2 hairpin corners, although I do hate the swarms that come before the first soft turn before the hairpin. That’s where people usually “throw caution to the wind” and start swerving all over the place to try and get position. With that in mind, the last 3 laps I made sure to fight as hard as I could to stay top 7 or 8. I did just that and came out of the last turn about 7th wheel. It was a long 200 meters to the finish and I managed to pass 2 others right before the line and came home in 5th. I was hoping for a top 3, but I ain’t mad! The sensations are there and it was great to bring home a decent finish for our new team Freewheel-BRITEsport! I didn’t really know what to expect in the P1/2/3 race. Obviously it was going to be a bit faster, and so mentally I just put myself there. It was also nice to be racing with Fergus of Chica Sexy. Good people right there. Anyway, the race was fast but not as tough as I thought it was going to be (I mean it wasn’t easy or anything). I think it’s only “hard” if you let it get to your head you know? Cal-Giant took the W and a pack finish for me. Also, it was great to see Gabe representing in both 4’s races in the morning. Looking forward to the next races with the team!