Queen City Twilight Criterium and Springfield Criterium (CAT 4/5)

I just got back from Springfield and boy am I tired. I performed about like I thought I was going to. The Saturday race was really fast and the temperature was right at 100F. I knew the cram sessions I put in weren't going to be enough to whip me into shape for the races, but I still held my own. Although I got lapped on the last lap, I still managed to finish in the top half somewhere. There were over 50 riders that rode in the combined CAT 4/5 Race.

The second race is a different story altogether. I hadn't realized in time that there was an actual CAT 5 race on Sunday morning. I continued to register for the combined CAT 4/5 race like I had planned, so it wasn't a problem. It would have been nice to have pulled in another win however. Sunday wasn't as hot as Saturday, but it was still blistering. Although I didn't finish the Sunday race, I did feel stable the bit I raced.

My poor cousin Britney got ran over by a few CAT 3 racers that crashed on the final turn of their race. She had been sitting in her lawn chair on the outside of the turn and she suffered some minor bumps and scrapes from the guy that tackled her, but she seemed to be in good shape despite the pain in her neck.

I didn't really perform up to standards this weekend, but it's not something that I could have really helped with how busy my life has been lately. It's not my goals to do well this season anyhow. The real racing starts next season when I get serious about what I'm doing with my life on the bike. This weekend is probably the end of my 2008 season, but I'll be hitting it hard the rest of this summer and fall, crossing it up this winter, and hitting the roads hard again in the spring in 2009.

As far as my ability right now; I know how far I have come and how far I need to go. I've got a few training ideas in mind that should ensure my graduation from CAT 5. As I stand right now, I feel that I am about 85% of my way to being a CAT 4 in a race situation. Hopefully with my training, I'll be riding on par with 3s next spring.