Niagara Classic

So it’s been quite a summer of racing.  I’ve had a few more races since my last post and still have a couple that I want to blog about to remember down the road. 

Niagara Classic was one of those races.  It was threatening rain kinda the whole day.  Only 13 of lined up on the start line that day which I was surprised about.  Pretty much the cream of the crop showed up.  We settled into a moderate pace on the first lap until we hit the climb on the course.  Well the girls flew up that first climb.  I made sure that I stayed in the group not on the front not on the back but that didn’t help on that first climb.  So the time trial was on middle of the climb no less.  The fight was on now to get back to the main group and there were a couple of girls in between the main group and me.  We did some work together taking turns and rotating to get back up there and we finally made it up to the group.

At that point I had 2 options merging into the group again.  To put on my brakes and filter into the back of the group or go past the group and see how it went.  I chose the latter.  I went off the front from the back of the group rode really hard to get away.  Someone told me a while ago if you try to get away from a group go as hard as you can for a good 30s to see if you get away and look back to see if anybody or the group has come with you and if you are free don’t look back.  Thank you G it worked this time.  So I was off and running.  Up the climb by myself this time around with family and husband on the side of the road watching and wondering what the hell I was doing off the front.  At this point I just wanted to ride it like I stole it.  I think I had a full lap by myself and Sue P came like a cannon was shot off past me.  Sue P was looking back at me seeing if I could catch up to her to latch on to her to go a couple rounds on the course but I couldn’t match her speed.  So off she went and now I was between her and the main group.   On that lap going up the hill I was caught by and past by the main group and now I was out the back of the race a very similar situation for me.   

Off the front, in the pack, and then out the back of a race but the fight was still in me.  I could still see the group in front of me so I continued on fighting to get back up with them.  I went another couple of laps by myself trying everything I had to catch back up to the group.  Which I did on the last lap on the last corner going up towards the last climb of the day.  Sara B's reaction of me getting back to the group was priceless and awesome…”Shelly you’re back” yes that was a great feeling.  They then speed up a little bit and I was gone again but at this point it didn’t matter to me I just loved the factor that I got back and that I was close to end of this race.  The last climb was torture and pushed so hard my asthma didn’t like me by the end.  Oh well another Niagara Classic in the books and this time I was very happy with my 7^th placing a very well deserved placing.