^{PLACE & TIME:}  17th

The first 3 laps were fast like you said so I put out an effort while also

hoping to conserve some for when they settled down. Well the group was

spread all over the place. Fortunately I moved up a little to about 1/2 way

and found a few guys to hang on to. By this time I was already digging into

reserves and just trying to hold on to a wheel remembering your advice

"don't do any work". Right then, a "Mentor" rider (an expert that rides

along with the Cat 5 coaching people in the back) tells me, "Don't let him

do all the work!" So I help a little. Little did I know that officials

were pulling riders off the course behind me and I was the last group. They

cut our race short to 30 min and rang the "1 lap to go" bell. I was in a

group of 5. I had figured out that I took the descent faster than those

around me so at the top of the final climb I edged in front of the group and

screamed down through the corners and started the sprint with a good gap.

They were catching up but I managed to finish in front of my group. I was

17th out of 47. My legs were sore the next day. Thanks for the tips, they

really helped. I think I metered out the effort good. God had to have

helped because I couldn't have planned it that well. I was suffering but

that little group was at the right spot at the right time and all the while

I was staying just ahead of the "pulled riders".

Wow.

See another Rider's "Bike-Cam" Video of the Race