Solid

With ever improving form things are starting to look up. Other than a bad weekend in Boone due to illness, this year has been a steady progression. I’m transitioning from mediocrity to rides that I would consider “solid.”

It’s nice to be up at the front fighting. Having a teammate like Jon Hamblen, who is crushing it right now, definitely makes things easier but the last thing I’m going to do is sit back and let Jon work everyone over. I want to play too!

Yesterday was the Downtown Wake Forest crit. It’s a race I won as a Cat 3 and I like the course so although it’s a smaller race I always enjoy it. To make a long story short, Jon lapped the field twice with only one other guy doing the same. On the last lap I made the executive decision to lead Jon out so he was sure to win, which he did. However, in retrospect it might have been the wrong decision.

I instinctively said race for the win, did it and we won. However, in doing so I ended up contributing absolutely nothing to the prize money split. I sprinted for almost every prime and ended up getting second or third in almost all of them. The guys taking the primes, aside from being good sprinters, were sitting in while I followed attacks and controlled the front of the race so they were going with fresh legs. Then I decided to lead Jon out and ensure that he didn’t get swarmed on the last lap. After doing so I sat up and came across the line one spot shy of money. If I had just kept going hard instead of pulling off I would have at least contributed something. I could have also sat back and sprinted for myself and Jon would still have won but at the time I felt like it was too much of a gamble, and maybe it was.

In the end, I don’t think I made any bad decisions but maybe didn’t always make the best ones. We won the race with effectively two guys but wearing a pro team kit I should have still been up there. When Jon handed me my prize money split I couldn’t help but feel like I had let him down. Don’t get me wrong. I rode hard and I did my job. If I hadn’t I would never have taken money. However, I wish I had done more and next time I will be riding with another lesson learned and even more motivation to prove my worth.

One bit of solace I did take from the day was when an old friend from Chapel Hill, someone I always respected as a person and as a bike racer, rode by me after the race and said one thing, “You’re on your way man.”