I got back on track last night with sleeping, but of course I woke up tired and had to drag myself out of bed. The ride this morning was warm for a change and I was able to wear shorts. My legs weren't feeling all that good, however. I was tired from the get-go and never really got my strength up. Taking yesterday off didn't give me the boost I would have hoped. I did a few brief sprints on the flat section just before reaching Orbital. From the races I've done, it seems like that's going to be what gets the most wins.

And speaking of sprints, Will joined me today, and I was looking for more. We did probably eight or so all out sprints. We did a few with me leading him out and a couple side-by-side. I learned a whole lot about sprinting just with this workout.

I know that for me to sprint effectively at all, I have to be at speed (i.e. 22mph+). Any slower and I can't turn the gear hard enough. I know that I sprint best in the drops and even better the further forward I lean. I know that I don't ever want to try shifting in a sprint if I can help it.

I was able to hold my own for the most part against Will. I think in the end, he should be the better sprinter, but it's good to know that with enough "softening" of the legs from a hard race, I should have enough to be very competitive. I still want to do everything in my power to avoid a sprint, but to cat-up, I think they will be unavoidable in many cases.

I spent the rest of the ride home cooling down from what has been my most ballistic of all rides. The sprints really took a lot out of my legs, and I was more than happy to take it easy as I rode through Arlington.

Dist / Time / Avg / Max / Odo
23.71 / 1:23:12 / 17.1 / 30.7 /
23.41 / 1:18:02 / 18.0 / 34.3 / 719.5