4/9 Time Trial:

Strong and gusty cross-winds on the course led to lots of thinking about the right bike setup. I decided on the rear disc which turned out to be the right choice. When a gust hit, it felt uncomfortable in the front, not in the back. I hydrated well before the race because I don’t carry a bottle for the shorter distance and ate a bar and gel about 10 min before the race. It was good luck that the two strongest opponents were directly in front of me. It gave me a good sense of my relative pace and it is extremely motivating to close the gap and to pass them. Together with the partial tailwind it was very tempting to overdo it on the first few miles. So I paced myself a notch. Checking the time until I passed the other guys in opposite direction after the turnaround gave me confidence that I was still on track. I finished 1st.

4/10 Circuit Race:

This was my first mass start race and that’s why I chose a more passive strategy. The plan was to stay in touch with the front of the peloton and to see if I can follow if someone attacks. Half of the course was on gravel so I rode this section twice on the warmup in order to spot deep gravel sections and to become familiar with the best paths to navigate these 2 miles and particularly the corners on each lap. This proved to be very helpful during the race because I was able to focus on the other riders rather than the course. The first three laps were at a relatively moderate pace and nobody tried to get away or seriously attack. I stayed constantly at second to forth position and out of the wind. Two COS guys and the guy who placed 2nd in the TT tried to get away when we reached the dirt road for the forth time. I was able to catch up with them quickly and at first I didn’t think that the break was successful because there were guys from other categories mixed in on the course. But the rest of the group was indeed dropped. We got back on asphalt and the speed increased as we approached the last lap. That’s when I realized that my front wheel was wobbly and that I had a flat. I replaced the tube and finished the last lap by myself so that I still collected some points for the overall omnium.

4/11 Road Race:

The flat in the CR created a difficult situation for the RR. Before the race I was third in the overall omnium. Only if I won or placed 2nd and of course beat them both could I be sure to collect enough points to pass them. So the goal was to be part of a break away ideally with some guys from the cat 50+ 4 who were racing together with us. The wind completely destroyed the tactics. The only break happened right after we started heading north only about 10 miles into the race. The two guys didn’t even really intend to break but the peloton slowed down so much that they had more than a minute at some point. Things got only worse when we turned into the insane head and crosswind on the 10 mile stretch back east. Every time somebody tried to pull away or at least pull the peloton nobody would continue a pace line when he went to the side. The only team that had several riders in this race was COS and they always did just enough to close any gaps but otherwise slowed everything down. Nonetheless the two guys in the front were eventually caught and it looked like they intended that because they couldn’t survive by themselves in the wind. Turning south and therefore tailwind and downhill finally allowed to increase the pace significantly. I attached myself to the wheel of the front guy all the way to the last turn before the finish. Since he was going close to the centerline I constantly watched the guys to the right to find a gap to attack. I had planned to be first at the turn hoping that I could sustain the lead on the slight uphill to the finish. The first part of the plan worked but then I slowed down too much for the turn. Three other guys took the turn better and passed me right after it. Realizing that neither 1st or 2nd place was feasible anymore gave way to another rookie mistake to stop pedaling before the finish line. Lost another place and came in 5th. Luckily that didn’t affect my relative score in the overall omnium and I moved up to 2nd place.