Blossom Cycling Challenge

Today was the hardest race I have done all year. Maybe because I did some work. A couple of big attacks happened early for the primes and I had also tried for one and was not even close. You had to bridge the breaks or be in it and then win the sprint. We did have a huge break with a group of 5 that I thought would work but only two of us worked it. After I saw Chris go down I prayed that he was OK and that I wouldn't go down like last year.

So after that 5 man break didn't work Paul won a prime and kept going before we were caught. Then Jeff attacked, Jim and I stayed glued to his wheel. At one point the field of 35 riders were in single file and had 3 different gaps or breaks in it, I was at the tail end with Jim.

Shortly after that Jeff attacked again and I did everything I could to reach him. He saw me coming with no one and slowed up for me. Then he took another big pull and we worked together the rest of the race. Dad stayed and gave us time gaps as well as Don and others. 30 SEC to Paul which we knew we weren't going to catch him, and 50 SEC ahead of the field. Paul lapped the field with 2 laps to go and Jeff and I continued to work the rest of the way till the last lap.

Thanks Jeff you really beat me up out there and you were right all along!

Thank you Jesus for a great day and keeping me safe. Thanks also to my family for there support. Love ya'll!

This was a nice race. Good roads, closed course, free food afterward.
The course was set in the perimeter road that encircles the music center parking arena so there weren't any real corners. Just a squiggly circle that gently rolled up and down.

The race started off fast and mean and stayed that way for almost the enire 45 minutes of the race. Stark Vello, Alied decal, Emerson(?) and Orrville all had large presences in the race so I had an excuse to keep my head down. Novel for a 4's race was the barrage of attacks. I put in a pull for a few of them, but irregardless all the attacks were chased down within 1/3 of a lap.
The high point of the race was the second preme that I took. One guy took a flyer ~500 yards out while three other people jumped to chase him down. So the three of us barrel up the small rise ahead of the downhill finish. Me and another guy pop off opposit sides of the pack, chase down the flyer in the last 20 meters and then it was a gut wrenching sprint between the two of us that I squeaked out by half a wheel. Wee I won $50 bucks! My entry fee was $25 so I'm coming out ahead! Er wait it's a 2.5 hour drive to get here @$3/gallon. Umh yeah, stop thinking about that...

The low point was the 4th preme that I attempted to win the same way. Problem was I passed too close to the guy ahead of me and we just barely bump, but just so. He looses balance and lays over on me and I go staggering across the road, but manage to accelerate out of danger, but he goes down. Luckily there was no chain reaction. I feel terrible and pull out the next lap thinking he's the guy standing by the road but it's not. The peloton disappears and I finish alone.

Useless gesture, but I did find him after the race and apologize for cutting things too close (Sorry again If you're reading this). He was pretty gracious and nachalant for looking like a tiger mauling victum (a partially declawed tiger perhaps).