Road Review

My road season is essentially over, with possibly a few more races before I start to focus on the main event, cyclocross.

Looking back at this year on the road, there are a couple of things that stand out. The first thing I noticed was how very different the quality of fields are in the various 1/2 races. In the lower categories, with possibly the exception of Tulsa Tough, the fields were relatively consistent in terms of how hard the races were. In the 1/2 races, however, this is not the case. Big races definitely attract much, much stronger fields. Small races like the State Criterium and the Joe Sheehan RR were no more difficult than Cat 3 races, while Joe Martin and the Tour of Lawrence were brutal.

Also, it was interesting to finally witness some true team tactics coming into play during races. Again, in the lower categories, this is not as evident. Riding as a guest with the Mercy Elite Team was a crash course in riding for a team and protecting a GC leader. Definitely a highlight of the year.

Third, it was nice to see my own fitness coming along as the year progressed. At some point we all reach our full potential in terms of fitness. I've been creating my own training plans, and was not sure that would be enough this year. They seem to have worked out, for the most part, so that was a good sign. Lots of things to work on though, as always.

Overall, the season has gone well. I didn't do as well as I had hoped to do at some of the bigger races, but I did underestimate just how hard they were going to be. I learned a ton, met some great people and racers, and had a lot of fun as well.