The Zeppelin Criterium

It had been two weeks since my last race. Since then, I’ve had a tremendous amount of fun on my bike (65 mile rides to Valley Forge with my buddy Lindsey who is training for Iron Man Lake Placid). I’ve also gone out for some long, solo hikes which I haven’t had the opportunity to do in several months. 

And during these past two weeks I’ve found myself, on more than one occasion, doing a gut check...or should I say more like a reality check. 

It was a combination of luck and fitness that got me through the first five races of the Cat 4 Cup Series. The sixth race, the Zeppelin Criterium, would be different. It is a technical course, with a series of difficult turns. I haven’t yet developed those skills to be effective (and most importantly safe) on a course like that. My teammate, who is a stronger, more experienced rider, was better suited to perform well.  

On Thursday, I went on a base ride with my coach. We talked about how the season was going and which types of races I’ve enjoyed. I told him that, despite crashing, the Ronde Van Mullica was my favorite race thus far and that I had already lined up a handful of road races over the course of the next two months that I would like to enter. We also talked about the Cat 4 Cup and how being in the lead has made me feel. Two weekends ago, when I rolled up to the line in my team kit, a woman called out to me “Hey Caffeinated, Don’t you have the yellow?” The yellow jersey has made me feel like a moving target, which is why I elected not to wear it for the two, most recent mass start races. As a new racer, it is a pressure and a distraction that I don’t need, especially after crashing twice at the beginning of the season. My focus needs to be elsewhere. 

My goal for this race was to make some strong attacks to help my teammate and that’s just what I did. With two laps to go, I left everything I had on the course. It was the first time I tested myself like that and it felt good. The technical skills are something that will come in time and the Cat 4 Cup can wait until season.