"Race" Update

I went out to the Cat 1 rodeo today. Of course it was not as described, but I did get a heck of a workout. As is the case in most places, there was one "head of state"... there was only one "pro" (that was the way he was described to me). I saw the guy when I rolled up... there was no mistaking that he was the head guy... it was written all over him...

The truth is that there are a lot of good riders down here that are very comfortable killing it at high speeds in wind. There is an art to riding in the wind for long periods of time... these guys have figured it out. They stay relatively aero, even when they are on their tops... they conserve energy and stay off the front if they don't have the energy... they know not to trade pulls with that guy...

I, of course, did not know. For the first 10 minutes we rolled at a ridiculously slow pace... My ergomo was showing a NP of 120 Watts at the end of warmup. I have never seen such a low number. As luck would have it, I end up on the pro's wheel when he decides that the warmup is over. He starts adding on the wattage... slow and steady... at some point, I look down and I see 500 Watts... he keeps on... at some point, I look down and I see 700 Watts... he keeps on... at some point I see 850 Watts... he finally comes off. I cant see anymore, but I manage to come around him and turn around as if I am not hurting... the group is way back... no one else is stupid enough to get pulled out on this suicide effort with this guy... 5 miles into a 55 mile ride... no warmup... and big surprise, I ate fried food and drank a lot last night... so much for the racer's edge....

It took me a solid 20 miles to recover from the efforts I made in the first 10 miles. This guy kept shooting off and I kept following and no one else was bothering. Next thing I know, I can barely hold on the group. I recovered and started working again... I had a dehydration headache when I woke up (from booze and oysters) and it was worse now (give me a break... it is vacation)... later on in the ride and ended up with a great workout for the day. Not what was advertised, but I got all I could handle... especially on vacation...