First Expert race and Gold Belt Loop

This past weekend was the Winter Park Hill climb and my first Expert race.  I've been feeling strong but did not know what to expect.  14 of the 18 riders took off like a rocket and 1/8 of a mile they gapped the field and kept going.  Unfortunately I was the 15th rider.  My effort was really high throughout the whole race as I managed to keep my heart rate about 180, but by the finish I had lost 3 minutes to the closest rider in my age category.  I am happy with my effort but not happy with the results. I have to come to the realization that this will be a very difficult year and to be successful one will have to be very fast.  The winning rider in my age category would have finished mid pack pro.  Ouch.  Results here.  Stats here.

Sunday Eric, Erik, Jon and I went to Colorado Springs to ride the Gold Belt Century.  It was kind of a strange ride as there was quite a bit of gravel and dirt roads.  Some riders choose cyclocross bikes, some with road bikes with 700x28c wheels.  I was the only one to choose a traditional mountain bike.  The Trek Fuel with 1.8 inch mountain bike tires was my setup.  The first 31 miles I averaged 18.9 miles per hour! The ride offered a lot of different types of scenery and a lot of climbing.  We had a van follow us which allowed us to eat a lot throughout the day!  The pizza stop in Victor was pretty good.  Photos tell the real story.  Garmin stats here.

One of several tunnels we biked through

Variety of bikes parked outside the pizza place

Erik and I

Victor Colrado

The riders