With the Murad road race being postponed Sonja and I took advantage of a beautiful day and went for a leisurely ride.
I was supposed to do some intervals but we got lost. OK, we didn't really get lost... more like the sirens called us into the woods where we found some awesome trails. Riding these trails made me realize how much I miss cross and miss riding my cross bike. But then I realized, I CAN ride my cross bike whenever I want and now that I've discovered some super-secret trails so close to home, I'll be making frequent visits here.
I'm happy to be off-road.
Skinny tires and my road race bike probably not the best choice...
Contemplating: Do we attempt to ride into the abyss (you can't see it but the trail ahead drops significantly under that tree) or do we turn around?
See you all at RFK tomorrow!
6 comments:
I'm with you girlfriend - the more I hear about all the crashes this season (no different from any other season, really), the more I am thinking I will just hold off the racing until cross. I am just loving riding my bike right now (riding...not racing). Lots of miles, minimal stress, no fractures, no bleeding. Ahhh.
Miss you girls!
I hear you. I try to stay off the cross bike during road season because I'm afraid I won' get off of it! Nice racing with you at Bike Jam--see you at Poolesville?
Major and LH, thanks for reading! I don't know how much more of this road racing thing I can take - people are too serious and at the same time content to sit in a pack at 16 mph, sprint at the end, and call that a "race". I must have attacked 5 times at RFK because I was bored. At one point I attacked simply because people were chatting in the pack. Not smart racing I know, but I've never been a smart racer, only one that likes to race. OK, enough of my complaining... yes I will be at Poolesville so LH I will see you there if not sooner. In the meantime I will be counting days to Charm City.
Oh Poolesville! I want to come back and do that.
We don't chatfest in the back of the Cat 4 race, we have sketchfest. It was night and day between the front 7 and the back 7 at RFK. Girls braking in the middle of the corner. Seriously. But yes, I too find the pack sprint finish to be a crapshoot and wonder if there is any real skill in it (although RA keeps winning them which suggests otherwise.)
I do think there is skill in a sprint, but the number one asset to have is patience. ANYONE delivered to the line fresh can win a sprint. I will never win a sprint (unless it's a sprint for the holeshot or Dunkin Donuts) b/c I am impatient and will cover anything that flinches during a race. My only shot at a win on the road is a break and even then I'd probably ride dumb and screw it up. That's the beauty of road vs. cross. Road racing is like a puzzle where the smartest person will win. Yes, they also need to be fit enough to not wind up on YOu Got Dropped, but being smart is number one whether it's sniffing out the right break or conserving energy for the spint, or just knowing where to be in the pack (ie wheels that are good vs wheels that are bad). There are some exceptions. I do know some racers who can pull the pack around the entire race and still get you in the sprint, but those girls are few and far between (and thankfully mostly upgraded to 2 by now). In a cross race, barring crashes and mechanicals, the strongest racers will always win.
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