In Your Travels

If You Are A Good Loser, Then You'll Lose A Lot

I didn't win the race and it made me mad. I tried to get away with four laps to go in this 1 kilometer course and was well off the front of the pack, but after bridging up to two riders who were away, they sat up. The pack was close but I couldn't understand why they gave up when we still had a gap. Fools! After the race my dad told me that his high school football coach used to say that if you are a good loser then you'll lose a lot. There is a balance between accepting defeat gracefully while acknowldeging the good that you did, and holding yourself to a high standard of winning. So in the end I feel good about finishing third, but I also accept that I want to win!

I was perhaps too worried about being boxed in for the sprint so I was in the wind a lot over the final few laps, pulling and staying in the top five. I came off Fred Andersen's wheel around the final grand curve of the race, and hit the front about where I had planned to. But in my mind I had envisioned standing up and sprinting at this one particular point. But when I got there, I just didn't do it. I stayed seated instead and tried to wind up the gear. It was working pretty well and at 80 meters I softened up my line as the course straightened out I just kept a loose arc which moved me right. This fouled up a couple guys on my wheel a little bit but they came around anyway. First Evan Fader and then Wade Jennings just before the line. So I was third and none too pleased about it. Most everybody was like that is a good result, but I had a victory within my grasp and couldn't get on the gear I needed to make it mine, so I was disappointed.

I woke up really really tired so I suppose it wasn't a surprise. The race started in a drizzle and with eight laps to go it was a total downpour. I took off my glasses because they were covered with so much water I could see better without then! But then I had no shield over my eyes from the wheel-spray, so I put them back on. The race started out hard, then got easier in the middle, and was tough again near the end. With about eight laps to go I finally started feeling good, but I guess I'm still not at my best. Next weekend I intend to feel great win boh races!

Eric did a good job of countering the move I made but the guys he went with didn't have the fitness either. Shows to go ya that it is one thing to get clear, but holding onto a successful attack takes grit (there was plenty of that out there in the rain, I had it coming out of my ears!), skill, and timing. One thing I'll say for this race was that at least at was safe. All the other fields before ours had crashes, and we even took the brunt of the rain's force. Mike Bradbury was there but not feeling his very best, though he did well to try to cover a big early break that looked dangerous, allowing me to stay in the pack. Rob Holt was there on his new Specialized, but it wasn't his day as work his been destroying him latlely.

Unofficial CAT 3 Best Area Rider Points
1 Evan Fader 111
2 Bo Lee 75
3 Fred Andersen 71
4 Mark Kerlin 69
4 Wade Jennings 69
5 John Raley 58

Evan Looks to be running away with things and he wil be a challenge to beat for sure, and he took 10 points out of me this weekend. But winning both races next weekend would give me 66 points! And there are more than a dozen events left this year, including some time trials that guys like Evan, Bo, Wade, and John tend not to do. And some of the criteriums coming up are very techinical with tough turns right before the finish, which is to my strength as well, unlike this race which had a wide-open non-technical finishing straight. So it is by no means decided. Also, I have about twice as many BAR points this time this year as I did at this time last year. Therefore I feel like I usually do before a win, that it will be a challenge but I feel strong in myself that it can be done.

It must be said that Wade is riding very well too, as he won the Master's 30+ race in addition to finishing 2nd in Cat 3. He beat Nima, Zack Browne, and Dave Osborne some very tough guys!

posted by Mark @ 4:42 AM