I felt like crap tonight at Tabor.  I wasn’t particularly tired, I just didn’t feel good on my bike.  So when the race started I was struggling to hang on in the back – more mentally than physically.  I went with the whole idea that when you’re feeling bad you should attack.  So when a prime lap came around I went off the front of the race before the base of the climb and easily snatched up the prime.  I won coffee.  Too bad I don’t drink coffee.  Then the unexpected happened.  They called another prime back-to-back – and I actually heard what it was: $20.  I got to the top of the hill and still had a decent gap on the field, and I had a decision to make.

When they didn’t catch me by the top of the hill, my mind was made up: I had to try to stay away and go for the second prime.  I knew this meant my race was probably over, whether or not I won the prime.  I pushed hard into the downhill and into the headwind leading up to the climb, and still had a decent gap on the field (maybe 100 yards).  At the base of the climb my heart rate was 200.  Halfway up it was 203.  Coming around the final corner before the line a racer jumped free of the pack that was bearing down on my trying to chase me down.  Coming up to the line my heart rate was 207.  I was way past blown up.  The other racer took me on the line by about a bike length.

Knowing there was no way with that kind of massive effort that I could recover in time to rejoin the field, I tried to anyway.  But I simply couldn’t get my legs working again up the hill in time to catch back onto the pack.

Race over.  Now the only thing left to decide was whether I wanted to roll in in last place or simply not finish.  I chose to finish off the race.

Hey, at least my prime streak is still alive.  4 in the last 4 races.