Sea Otter Classic Friday

Friday was the road race that started at 8 am. It was 45 degrees when we started but 45 with humidity out here is freezing. I wore a long sleeve base layer, a long sleeve DNA jersey and a vest with leg warmers and full fingered gloves and for the 2 minutes i stood at the starting line before we left, i was shivering. The race was 54 miles with a neutral roll out. we rode neutral for about 3-4 miles from the circuit race track up over a hill and down the hill that we have to turn around on and come up to for the finish. We did 6 laps on a course that started with a climb like up wasatch blvd except winding. then it cruised around with some rollers and another good little climb before dropping down and doing it all over again. I felt good during these climbs and and although it would have been nice to keep it a little lower, my HR climbed up to around 175 each time up the climb sections of the race. i managed to sit between 3rd and 8th wheel the whole race but stayed off the front. I did have a couple incidents on the climb. i dropped my chain at the bottom one time but was able to shift it back over and on without having to stop and get off, and another time i was riding second wheel about half way up the climb. the guy in front of me decided to stand up and in doing so, threw his bike back and to one side hitting my front wheel and causing me to unclip and put my foot down and throwing everybody behind me off. it sucks trying to clip back in an get some momentum on a 10% grade in the middle of 45 guys. after doing 6 laps we did a little over 2 miles up what would be comparable to millcreek canyon but with a few steeper pitches. i hung on to the lead group until 1 k to go and popped. I pre-rode this part of the course and by itself it is not bad, but after 52 miles and at race pace, it hurt. so after getting dropped by the lead group, i sat up and rode the last kilometer by myself and finished a minute and a half behind the leader. My legs felt good for the short steep hills but didn't have it for the final 2+ mile climb to the finish. Saturday is the circuit race and the course would suit me better excpet for the fact that my legs are still really tired from the road race.