Westside Classic RR - hung in there

A very enjoyable race...

Westside Classic is a 10km circuit, with one 1.2km climb up Camosun at about 4%. There are a few other short bumps, but nothing else that is very hard. And once you do hit the top then its about 7km back to the bottom of the climb... About 3km mostly downhill on 16th, and then about 2km mostly flat along SW Marine.

I raced in the Cat 4/5 race. A fairly large field (80?) Pretty much every lap I moved to the front for the downhill and worked at the front until Camosun. Then hit the climb first and sagged back through the field. I was climbing it in about 2:40-2:50. The front of the peleton was climbing it at about 2:20.

In the downhill in lap 3 I got off the front. Managed to TT out and get almost a minute ahead. Stayed off for just under 2 laps when a couple of riders caught me at the top of the climb. We stayed away about another half lap...

For the last 3 laps I still did a lot of work at the front along SW Marine. Not too many volunteers to come up and push through the wind. But I didn't actually find it that hard.. Well under my TT pace and certainly (for me) a lot easier than the climb.

On the last time up Camosun I let the fast guys sprint ahead. I think they did the last climb in just under 2:00...

Anyway, I met my goals, stayed with the group until the last climb. And the solo breakaway was fun...