| Tour of Grandview
6/27/2010 | It was a pretty hot day so hydration was crucial, though it cooled off quite a bit for the Cat 3 race at 4pm. The race was 20 laps over a 1 mile course with a couple of 90 degree turns coming off of descents as well as a 1/4 mile climb. I took a lap after the Pro 1/2 race to check out the course, which resulted in me getting a poor starting position since riders were already lining up and there were no call-ups.
The pace was fast for the first few laps and then settled in. I stayed near the back for most of the time and it was a constant battle for position even there. Riders were popping off left and right with fewer only 27 of the 55 riders finishing in the pack. I narrowly escaped a 3 downed riders during the climb near the middle of the race. Between a couple of primes I found my way to the front for a lap half a lap, but was cut off pretty good in one of the corners so I decided to settle back in. I should have fought harder for position the last 3 laps. During the last climb, I managed to go from about 20th up to 12th place, but I was too far back to break into the money spots. | Gary Burkholder |
