Glencoe Grand Prix - First Cat 3 Race

The Glencoe Grand Prix was the site of my cat 3 debut and it was a blast. 50 minutes of hard sprinting in the sweltering heat and humidity. I wasn’t on top form due to lack of sleep (camping in the heat and rain) but I gave the race all I had. Throughout the race I moved all over the field; from the front to the back, to the front and back again. The pace was higher than I expected and we consistently sprinted to the low 30’s out of each corner. The majority of the race was nothing special… just going in circles. With 5 laps to go I moved to the front of the field and stayed there until the beginning of the final lap. A group of 10 or so riders sprinted up the left side of the field and drove the pace into the 30’s. I went from 5^th wheel to the back of the pack in a blink of the eye. I did what I could to hang on but at the high speed the field was moving it was hard to gain any positions. The outside line was the best place to be in the final corner which helped as I was able to pass 4 riders. Then it was up to the sprint and I had nothing left in the tank. Somehow I managed to pass another 2 riders to squeak out 26^th. The entire race was clean with no crashes but a lot of bumping shoulders. Someone once told me that cycling wasn’t a contact sport… Boy, they were dead wrong! I’m happy as can be with the pack finish and now have extra motivation for training rides. Next up is the Mauston Road Race for the Wisport Series on Saturday, Aug. 15th and the 90 mile Race the Lake Road Race on Sunday, Aug. 16th.