So, if you have not heard, this weekend at the Army RR was my first win. It also happened to be the first race I used my new Litespeed in. It seems that the bike really was the difference between me finishing at the back of the pack and winning my race. The Army RR was one of the hilliest courses I've done, if not the hilliest. I really believe that if I had my '89 Schwinn during this race I would have not only done nearly as well, but I probably would not have finished any where near my capability just because it was so hard to shift with downtube shifters. It was really nice to be able to shift without taking my hands off the drops, and the weight of the bike was like riding on a cloud compared to the steel, 27lb bike I was used to riding. During the race I was able to break away from a lot of people and attack with full force. I kept up with everyone at the front of the pack and pulled for most of the race. I was even able to oust a kid from C Mellon who, and I quote "got a sweet deal" on the zips he was using. At the end of the race, when the field sprint started, the top three of us- a kid from Delaware, C Mellon (not the one using the zips mind you), and I blasted away from the rest of the pack at the last up hill into the downhill finish. The Delaware kid and I were head to head in a full-out sprint when I realized that I wasn't in my highest gear. I shifted and killed it into the finish. When it was all over it took a few seconds for me to wipe the spit and snot off my face before I realized- I JUST WON!!! My computer said I topped out at 41.6 mph during what must have been the sprint. It was probably the proudest moment I've had all season in cycling and proved to myself that I was in the right activity, and that it really was just the bike, not my ability that had hindered me.
1 comment:
Kevin, great job this weekend! I am sure that the bike helped, but your early season training was much more valuable. Way to put in the effort indoors and out in the cold!
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