Carpentersville

Photo by Carolyn

Carpentersville is a flat and bumpy course that is a good test of a riders turning and transitional skills. My race strategy is to not let the leaders get away from me and to ride in a group to stay protected from the strong winds.

I get a good start off the line and am in second through the first barrier. The field strings out quickly and I'm with the lead group. So far so good. 3/4 through the first lap I think I'll try to ride the sand pit. I drop into the pit and I topple over. By the time I get up I lost contact with the group and am in no man's land riding by myself in fifth place with no protection from the wind.

The gap remains the same for four laps but by the fifth lap I start to gain ground. I move into third with one to go and fourth place is right on my wheel. I hit the sand pit holding my position and I am confident I can muscle out the final 250 yard sprint to the finish. I jump on my bike and the chain falls off and gets wedged between the crank and bottom bracket. I debate whether or not I should fix it or shoulder it and run it in. I fix it in time so I can ride in and hold on to 4th. An anticlimatic finish, but still an improvement from last year.

I made a few mistakes here that I can learn from and hopefully use to make me a better rider.