Third time’s a charm or bad things happen in threes?

When the race calendar was posted several months ago, I identified the Tour of Colts Neck as my goal race.  As of April 7^th my goal was to finish this race, on my bike and in one piece.

 

The drive up was accompanied by a churning stomach, which is a feeling I haven’t had since my days as a collegiate rower and one that has not been missed.

I spent the majority of the race as a careful observer, noting who was working together, which riders were being protected and who couldn't hold a line. I moved up in the field toward the end of the third lap into a safe position.

 

On the last lap, I saw Lauren to my right, powering up the hill. I grabbed her wheel and we turned on the afterburners. Three other riders followed and we had a gap. It didn’t last very long, but it sure was fun and it helped to string out the field a bit.

Coming into the final stretch, the sprint was somewhat compromised because we caught the 1/2/3 race ahead of us. There was a big shift to the left and I was tied up in it. At that moment it became difficult to suppress the drive to win, but staying safe this time around was my primary goal...mission accomplished. I rolled across the line in 7^th place, right on Lauren’s wheel and decided to save the sprint for next time.

Today's race was brought to you courtesy of the honey badger.