Better but not quite as good

So much for nice and steady. Hoping to redeem myself somewhat after going off a little too hard in tricky conditions and blowing apart on the weekend, I came into Tuesday's night's midweek race hoping to give myself a better showing by going out and riding a well paced race. I won the week before so clearly thought I could do so again. Then they shouted "GO" and I went off like the proverbial hare thinking I could storm my way to a win. By the time the first 500 meters of open field riding over a few little hills were done I was entering the tree line in second and already fearing where my heart-rate was.

It wasn't pretty from then on in. I was determined to finish, and I did, but after that flying first half kilometer, it was all backwards from there. Another lesson learned in a season of trying to learn how best to pace myself and find the kind of discipline that allows me to ride steady throughout.

I finished the first lap in second but was past by two others on the final laps as I punished myself into not losing another place. I finished up forth in the sport race; second in the male sport 30-39 category. Not bad at all given the weekends fiasco, but not as I might have hoped or might have done had I been a little more sensible at the start.

Ah well, always next week.