First race and first result of 2012. I raced for my professional license and for the win on Saturday down in Florida. I accomplished my first objective, but came up just short of the win, with a 13 second gap to first place. This was a huge milestone for me, as it marks the accomplishment of a goal I've had for a very long time, and it also begins a new chapter in my racing career. Thank you to everyone who has ever given me encouragement, support, and love, I could by no means have done this alone. I have an amazing team around me.
PLAY BY PLAY
- The swim in Lake Louisa was a new experience for most every athlete present. It was incredibly shallow and we were walked about 100 meters into the water(mid thigh depth)for the start. There was dolphin diving, about 600 meters of swimming, and then 200 meters of dolphin diving and running through the water, then 150 meters of running up the beach to transition.
I came out 5th, and my legs were feeling the strain.
-fast transition, the lead pack of about 7 formed(myself included) in the first half mile, and we stayed together until the turnaround at 2 miles. It was at this point that I initiated the attack out of the 180 degree turn and broke away with Luke Farkas, who I perceived to be the strongest cyclist in our group. We quickly opened up a gap, and had 15 seconds by mile 4. Around mile 5, it was evident that Luke wasn't having his best day on the bike, and I tried to take on a little more work to keep us together. I new a solo bike effort was going to make for a very difficult run,so the more time we could ride together and share the work, the better of we'd be. Unfortunately, at mile 6, I had to press on alone, and Luke dropped back to the chasing group of 5. This was a very strategic move on his part, and it ultimately was the right choice for him. I was concerned about the running ability of the group behind me, so I felt my best option was to open up as much of a gap as possible before the run. By the time I came in to transition, I had a 50 second lead and I was hoping I could still put together a decent run.
-The first 10 minutes of the run were agonizing. I couldn't find my turnover and I couldn't get enough water to cool my core down. I believe it was 90 degrees and 90percent humidity, and there was no shade. I started to wonder if this would be the first time I would pass out in a race. I lost almost all of my lead on my closest pursuer in the first lap, who coincidentally turned out to be Luke. Once he caught me, I was finally able to lift my pace and run at his shoulder all the way to the turn around and about halfway back to the finish. This left us with 800 meters to go and Luke put in an acceleration that I was unable to match, and pulled away for the win. My hat goes off to him for an excellent race.
I had a total blast competing, and I hope my breakaway added some excitement to the race for everyone who watched. It's my goal to leave a mark on the sport and try to make races a show. Obviously, the main goal is to win, make money and live to fight another day, but if I can put in a little flair, it will be good for our sport, not to mention fun :)
I have a lot to think about now as I plan for my first Pan-American cup race in Dallas. I need to adapt better to heat, and experiment with running fast off of solo bike efforts as well as group efforts. Every draft legal race is a learning experience, and no two races play out exactly the same way, so it pays to prepared for every possibility.
Thanks again to my sponsors, my amazing parents for their support over the years, and everyone who's in my corner, this is going to be an exciting year!
