TJ Woodruff ONLINE

Today was a good day of bicycle racing. The climb was tough, the winds strong, and the race was mine to win or lose. It’s always nice to inflict pain upon the competition and today I got to every trip up the climb. Pulling a rookie mistake I got a little too excited and lost the win in the last thirty seconds…

Right from the start I pinned it up the long climb and at the top only about a dozen or so of us were left. Next lap I went to front and full-throttled it once again and now only six or seven of us are left. On the final lap I did the same trick and broke the race down to four.  I felt very strong as we rotated it in towards the finish line. As we neared the finish some cat and mouse games gave the other three a bit of a rest, something I forgot to consider in my decision making. I initiated the final sprint for the line, but went too early. I was caught off guard when one racer was able to keep my wheel. I had gone too early and I new it. So I finished second.  If only I had two cents worth of tactical aptitude I would have jumped second and won today, but I let my excitement and inexperience spoil this one. Maybe this happens to every road racer once, but it certainly won’t happen twice!

All in all it was a great day on the bike and awesome training. I’m convinced that there is no way to replicate the intensity of a race on a training ride. Perhaps tomorrow’s four corner criterium will go equally well as I’ve moved up in the GC with today’s result. It would be nice to finish out the weekend strong, so I’ll give it another go.

Next time you are the strongest in a four person break, think of me before jumping at the line first… Maybe you’ll earn that W and be able to thank me. Keep it real,  TJ