8/13/09: End of Season Thoughts

If anyone had said at the beginning of the season that I'd win 4 races in 2009, I would have had a good chuckle. With Mt. Evans as the big goal, I would have been very pleased with just the one win. Overall, for the races I focused on more individually than for the team, it was a much more consistent and solid season than I had hoped to achieve:

Deer Trail - 2nd
Haystack TTT - 1st
Lookout Mtn HC - 3rd
Sunshine HC - 4th
Mike Horgan HC - 1st
Dead Dog Stage Race - 2nd overall
* Road Race - 1st
* Crit - 12th
* TT - 3rd
Mt. Evans HC - 1st

In the crits, with the directive being helping to tee up the sprinters for their shot at victory, I did my best to help make this happen. Helping control the race and leaving it all out on the course during my stint in the leadout train left me way off the back heading into the finish line. Given the team's success in these races, it was a role well worth taking on - not just by me but by everyone who participated. The team is very strong.

Salida and Sunshine HC were the 2 cricks in my neck. At Sunshine, I was still recovering from a bronchial infection and at Salida a flat tire took away my ability to at least have a shot at a top 10 spot. But, that's OK. Looking at the big picture, I've got no regrets with how the season unfolded. Rarely does everything go according to plan. And, if I'm being honest, Salida is the only sub-par result. I can live with that.

Looking at the rest of the 3s peloton, I noticed several things worth mentioning. First, the team I'm on, Feedback Sports Racing, has had an incredible year. Not just in the 3s, but in the 2s as well. Whether we won races or not, we clearly helped dictate how they would unfold. What a great team to be a part of!! Secondly, the quality of the 3s is as high as ever. Some new guys stepped up and some of the old guard really improved this year - Ben Buxton, Jayson Middlemiss and Jordan Sherr to name the first 3 which come to mind (old guard types). Lars Finanger and Todd Robertson impressed me with their dogged consistency in any type of race.

2010 will be interesting. I've upgraded to the 2s, for starters. Not sure if I'll throw my hat in the ring in the P/1/2 races or focus on 35+. Or both, depending on the race. For example, why go to Dead Dog this year and race in a 35+ field of only 7 riders? In any case, it will be nice to have that flexibility. Also going to be shoring up my weaknesses, which forever have been on my top end speed - from the days as an age group swimmer, through my entire swimming career and now as a cyclist. My power/weight ratio lags way, way behind at the top end of things - the 5sec, 30sec and 1min values. Interestingly enough, P/W is strongest at the 5min VO2Max range, with my 20min and 60min values not far behind.

As always, it's been a fun season. Enjoying my downtime until Labor Day before blowing the dust off the bike and starting to get the rust out in preparation for 2010. For those still racing, good luck!

Ride safe,
Nate