Stage 1: 7.2 km Individual Time Trial - 41st
It was a 'sight unseen' course for me, which wasn't ideal. I never really settled and on the open road struggled to get the big gear going. I certainly didn't disgrace myself but am a little disappointed with my 10:47 time.
Stage 2: 97 km Road Race - 58th
The first 26 km of this stage I was loving. Great to be in a big bunch (59 starters) and I was really enjoying the flat and undulating parts of the course. Then came the climb... It was actually two climbs. About 1.5 km in 39 x 21 before a small downhill and then about 1.5 km in the 39 x 19. I didn't get up the first one and (most embarrassingly) was the first one dropped! I never regained touch with the bunch and rode the last 70 km on my own, to make sure I could start again tomorrow. I lost over 39 minutes. The crazy thing is, I actually felt pretty good today, but climbing is obviously a problem for me.
Stage 3: 85 km Road Race - 51st
Today was a much, much better day, but had a mishap that cost me badly. I felt so much better than yesterday and coped on the first climb of about 2 km quite well. The second climb was a bit longer (both the climbs were not as steep as yesterday). A few riders had dropped off before me which instantly made me feel better! I was heading for trouble about 500 m from the top so decided to ease back, ride tempo and catch up on the long descent. This was all working to plan until I overcooked it (big time) on a right hander, lost my back wheel, managed to straighten up, went flying through the bush and ended up stopping myself from tumbling down the side of the bank by using a big grass patch as a safety cushion. By the time I got back on the bunch was gone. I had to finish the stage out but at least this time I was in a small group. We lost just over 15 minutes. This was a real shame because I couldn't believe how much better I was going since the day before.
Stage 4: 30 min + 2 lap Criterium - DNS
I decided to not start the critierium. It was on a very fast, technical circuit and at only 30 minutes in length, I wasn't confident of going far. I elected to head home and recover for the week ahead.
So the post-mortem of the race tells me that:
- Masters A racing is very competitive.
- I need to work on my climbing.
- I need more specific work on my time trial bike.
- I can be competitive before too long with continued effort.
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