Connor finished what he called “among one of the hardest races I’ve done” safely within the pack, among the majority of racers, after 2.5 hours on the road. There was a breakaway of about 9 riders who finished an estimated 1 minute ahead of the field, while several others dropped off the back of the pack due to the high intensity pace.
Connor mentioned that the climbing was not as hard as he thought, but dealing with the constant attacking by his competitors was the real challenge. Still, he was able to ride like a pro, staying towards the front of the pack, trying to keep an eye on things. When you have that many strong, young riders, the field can be chaotic with lots of movement and attacks. Connor said there was a lot of contact and bumping in the pack. Staying aware of who is attacking from where and deciding how to react while getting bumped around at 30 mph can be quite a challenge!
But the one lesson Connor did learn today was about course management. “I didn’t know how many miles there were to the finish. I thought we had 10 more miles to go and all of a sudden, there was the finish!”Luckily he finished in the pack and will receive the same time as his group. But he’s learned the value of a cycling computer and importance of studying the course maps!
Overall, he said he feels fresh (and he sounds really excited) and is looking forward to tomorrow’s 14 mile time trial.
The time trial is a race against the clock, where each rider is sent off at 30 second intervals and are not allowed to draft eachother along the way. It’s just you against the stopwatch. That is why time trials are called The Race of Truth!
The only disagreement I have with calling the time trial The Race of Truth is that expensive equipment can be a factor in these kinds of races. Although Connor borrowed a special time trial bike for this event, due to new cycling regulations, he will have to use his standard bike instead. The top teams will have the best equipment at their disposal, and will definitely have an advantage.
But we’ll see – Time trials are one of Connor’s favorite types of races and I think he’ll be up to the challenge.
I will update after tomorrow’s race!
