Tuesday, March 23, 2010

All In... in Mazatlan

The 2010 ITU season is now off and running and it couldn't have started any better...well not much better anyway. Went down to Mazatlan this past weekend for a continental cup and looking at the start list it looked like it would be pre season US pro nats. I was really excited to be racing in Mexico for the first time but a bit apprehensive because mexican races are notorious for being bunched rides and just coming down to the 10K. Obviously not what I was looking for. So as it turns out took the season motto to heart and went ALL IN.

Race started really well, with a good start spot and about 5 guys coming out of the water and the half way point with a decent lead. The water was really choppy the whole way around and was making for a tough swim which is always a plus for me. As we exited the water at the end of the 1500 there were 4 of us heading up the beach to T1. No problems there and got out right on someone's wheel and got right into my shoes. Then the race started for me.

As I pulled through on my turn I had no intention of making a break but no one got on my wheel and I slowly started to roll away for the other 3 guys. After about 2 mins of steadily pulling ahead I decided I would try to get away for a lap and see if I could make a dent. There were 2 U-turns which are good for breaks because they slow up groups and by the time I made it back to transition after the first lap I was gaining time. At that point I decided there was no turning back and I was going to fight the wind in my mini aero bars for the full 40k and see who could catch me. All those winter rides were paying off as I slowly pulled away from the small chase group but more importantly steadily putting time into the big group with Jarrod Shoemaker in it.

By the time I got to T2 I had 1:05 on the small group and 2:30 on the big group and just took off. Tried to stay relaxed in the first of four laps and by the end was still holding my own with only Jarrod and Mexican Fransisco Serrano gaining on me. The legs felt much better than I expected after the solo bike and I was really just focusing on the form changes I have been making lately. I was slowly losing ground to both runners but only Serrano was able to catch me with about 1k to go and I go into the chute with a very solid 2nd place, and a spot on the podium with two 2008 olympians.

Huge thanks to Pearl Izumi for the awesome custom race kit and Kestrel bikes for giving me my getaway machine. Now on to the world cup in Monterrey and a shot at a field of the big names. Will post pics soon, stay tuned...big things happen when you go ALL IN!

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