Quick Race Recap - Copperas Cove 3/4 Road Race

I'm very glad that I went down to do this race. Even though all but one teammate had to bail at the last moment due to conflicts.  No sweat, I had been looking forward to this race for over a month. 

I had such a good time with Katie driving down and back. She is incredible at race support. She really is. I can't say enough about her.  The weather was absolutely perfect. And I didn't get hurt or crash. I'm happy with that... BUT, I'm disappointed. I really wanted badly to make a splash in my first 3/4 road race. Ya know what? This was my 2nd official road race EVER! (most of my stuff is triathlons - totally different world) So, it goes without saying that I learned quite a bit today. 

52 mile hilly road race in Central Texas.  Over 100 riders in my race with the yellow line rule in effect (can't cross it).  So, space was limited. 

The race wasn't as dangerous as I thought it would be. There were a couple of simple crashes though. I stayed in the top 3rd the ENTIRE race... Staying out of the wind as best as possible and staying out of trouble. It was somewhat hard to manage through all the riders (100+ total). After mile 30, there were two times that I almost POPPED on an uphill surge. I held on with everything I possibly had. Thankfully the surge ended right before I lost it. 

Katie & I drove the last 4 miles of the course beforehand. I mark a set of houses before the last hill set that would be where I make a move up. When we approached those houses (and I knew they were coming) I was totally boxed in. LOTS of screaming and yelling in all directions. I couldn't move up. It threw me off my game plan. Tried feverishly to get around without crossing the yellow line. When we reached the crest of the last hill, there was still hope because the field had not started to really accelerate yet. Still got boxed in. DANG IT! Then I found a opening and moved into the center lane. When it came to down to getting out of the saddle... I just couldn't do it. Dang, I was disappointed with my ability to inflict pain on myself today. I mean, REALLY disappointed. I wanted the 20 seconds of fury to unleash. I didn't have it... bummer. I still have no idea how I finished, But I think it was 30ish or something. It will be online later... 

First race of the season. I'm ready to tackle the next one in February.  I learned quite a bit about my own fitness and abilities.  I'm going to take that and work hard to improve for next time.  It's a long season.  Plenty of time, plenty of time. 

Glad to represent the Rockwall Cycling Team in central Texas. 

-Billy