Jim drove Greg and I up to Devou Park in Covington. We met up with Matt and Dave at the park. Prior to getting there, we knew that this 1 mile loop course had about a 90 foot vertical gain each lap. Doesn't sound like much on paper. Pre-riding the course, however, had the Lexington boys reassessing their race goals.

The five of us lined up for the 3/4 race in a field of 33 with a simple plan to have Jim, Greg, and I ride near the front for the first few laps and then let Dave and Matt do the rest. The pace started fairly hot from the start. We started at the back of the field, but moved up quickly and rode near the front up the hill on the first lap. I was able to do my bit for Dave and Matt until the top of the hill on the fourth lap, when my legs said no to the pace being set.

I ended up forming a good group of four, and we worked well together, sharing the work and picking off stragglers and lapped riders. Towards the end, our group got larger and the number of people willing to work dropped to two, myself and one other guy. One guy attacked up the hill on the last lap, otherwise we kept it under control and I took the 'sprint' for the line. Ended up 12th.

It was a tough race, but I'll be back next week with the goal of riding with the group for more then four laps before I crack.