BVC Friday - 1st and 3rd in A Group!

It was a small A field tonight so a couple of us B's got drafted to fill in. Luckily none of the fast A's where there (Kirk Obee, Jacob Swingthboth, etc...) Mostly it was Jeff Ains and Mike Roethengatter who are fast... But they don't pull up the pace quite as high by themselves...

The first race was a 10 lap Scratch. Far to fast for me to get up to speed. I did manage to stay with the group until the last lap... almost...

Next up was a 4x10 Points race. I hung out at the back with Andy George for the first 20 laps. Then moved forward through the rotation. Only seven riders, so that was fast and easy. 

With about 2-3 laps to go to the third sprint, I was at the front when Keith Jones made a small move over top of me. I managed to bridge over to him. Looked back to find that we had put a little gap between us and the field. I yelled at him to take half lap pulls to see if we could stay off for the sprint. But after he pulled up he wasn't able to get back onto my wheel. I took first in the third sprint. Looked back and I had about a third of a lap gap so just kept going. I had been doing close to 50km/h. Slowed that down to about 46km/h and just kept going, and going, and going.. After about six laps I had actually put some more room between me and the field. Was less than a half lap to catch them. 

Pulled the speed up gradually to about 48km/h with two to go so that they would hopefully not be able to sprint over to me... Still had a half lap when I got the bell, and took 1st in the final sprint. Which was enough (barely, 10 points to Jeff Ain's 9 points) to get 1st.

I was off the front for about 16 laps (3.3 km). Peak watts 704, average 365.  This was actually about 1:11 average 440. 2:04 average 340 and then finished with :47 average 366 watts.  But overall very comparable to my 20 lap L5 workouts. So I had some idea what speed I could maintain and for how long. 

I suspect that the field somehow just didn't see Keith and I go off of the front and thought I was a lap down. So didn't think they had to catch me.

The final race was a 5x5 Progressive Points race.  I hung out for the first two sprints and then mad a big effor to get a third in the third sprint. And then just hang on at the front. Followed Dave Gerth through the fourth sprint to take a 3rd. And Managed a 4th in the final sprint. To take 3rd overall.

The third sprint was the hardest. 769 peak watts, 621 average for 20 seconds. And then get the heart rate back down from 186 to 180 in 4 laps so I could work for the next sprint.