Nice race, Matt. And thanks for bringing the Big Sky Brews.

I got there in plenty of time. Warmed-up while pre-riding the course and I could
tell it was going to be another fast race, but I wasn't feeling quite as strong
as last week.

At the start, I entered the dirt in 4th. We came upon 35-44 back-markers within
10 minutes, and that's when things get interesting. I try to stay on wheels, but
the traffic sometimes creates some separation. I stayed on the wheel of a
SCCCC-guy for the entire first lap. I think one of our group got by both of us.

2nd lap, SCCCC-guy gets away a little, but I get a wheel of a 35-44 racer and
hang-on. That was my race strategy, use as many people as I could and do my best
to stay close to the leaders.

end of lap 3, I catch a guy in my group. I drop back just a few seconds while
taking a pull on my Clif Shot drink. No problem, I hope to catch him by the time
we hit the short road section. I managed to do that, and pass him quite easily
as he seems tired. Right before I get the dirt again, another guy I passed a
long time ago sneaks by. $hit! Where'd he come from? He did a good job with the
rope-a-dope, I guess. I managed to keep him in sight for the final lap, even
pulled back to within 5 seconds a half-mile from the finish. But he got someone
between us in the meantime, and beat me to the line.

So I was happy finishing 5th. No scrapes, dabs, or missed turns. Good brew.

Sponsor plugs:

Maxxis Larsen TT tires - A lot of closely-spaced knobs provide really good
traction and low rolling resistance at a reasonable weight. Not a mud tire.

Clif Shot Recovery - Very tasty and hits the spot.

--- In teamwrongway@yahoogroups.com, "Matt Cerkel" <tamranger@...> wrote:
>
> Well, CCCX#4 was my first race of the year and I wasn't fully ready for it.