
The cold and rainy weather of today made me strongly consider skipping this race. But my lovely wife gave me a little encouragement and I braved the conditions.
Speaking of conditions, it was about 40 degrees and a downpour when I toed the line for the start. I was in a little pain from the cold, but soon after, I could not feel my hands or feet. They were numb. I was clipping along all alone during the first half of the race. Apparently, I was not fast enough to catch anyone but too fast for anyone to catch me. I was starting to think that I was not going to see another biker for the entire race. Eventually though, I caught a guy from behind. It gave me a little boost to pass him like he was standing still. He looked like he was decent, so it was confirmation that my effort was solid.
I do not have official results yet, but I think I finished between 49:00-53:00. I am guessing this left me close to the middle of the pack.
This was excellent training. It is impossible to duplicate this type of effort without a race. I hope it will springboard me to a strong showing in the Peanut Butter Duathlon on May 2nd.