Rest (not) and Track Racing

I decided to take a week off, attempting complete rest to let my body recover. I thought I might be able to go to the gym for a yoga or pilates (eek!) and get my mind away from the intensity of racing. Also I'm tired of wearing spandex.

At 4:45pm on Wednesday, after a rough day, I decided that the only way to cure what ails me would be to head to the velodrome. It was a difficult proposition since getting to there in time usually means leaving at 5pm. I also needed to switch out the reynolds road fork I'd installed for the crca timetrial (front brake required) in order to obtain the proper track geometry. Once that was ready, I scurried around looking for a clean team kit, and had to resort to the bottom of the laundry pile for a jersey, but I was ready and out the door by 5:30. I rode a little faster than usual and made it in time.

The first race was a win and out, timed my attack perfectly and hit the bank of turn 2 really nicely, establishing a huge gap between myself and the rest of the field. 51x15 felt great, almost too light. As I approached the finish line, the bell rang, and I realized that the sprint for winner would be on the next lap. Slowing down at this point was an ever bigger mistake than attacking too early, but that's exactly what I did, rolling in at 5th place.

The rest of the events went only a little better. I wasn't too focused. I'm done taking it easy and I hope I got enough rest. The New York State track championships are a week and half away, and the 154 mile Green Mountain Stage Race is the week after that.

Lesson: cut your losses.

Biting off another road-blogger's style I am posting a youtube video of a song... that's been in my head for the last two races.