Tuesday was a good Circuit race in Ft Ord. A good group showed up and there were many talented riders in the pack. The speed was pretty fast during the entire time, except when a little Black Labrador jumped out in front of the group on the fastest DH section. It was a close call but the little dog was not hit, and no riders crashed.
On the last lap I followed a attack and then drove the pace to make sure the last lap move stuck. My legs were feeling good and it was nice to make the difference for the race win. I did the major pulls to keep the break ahead of any chasers and it was good to have good action in the legs and feel strong.
Then on Wed. night there was the Laguna Seca Twilight Track race. 6 laps on the famous track makes for good action. A very big group showed up, with all levels of riders taking part. At the start there must have been 40 to 50 riders going for it. The pace was all out right away, and the 2nd time up the hill the field completely blew apart. I made the split, leading the break with 4 other riders. A bunch of strong guys chased, including a few Pro caliber riders, but they missed the key move. It was myself and a CCCX team mate, and the 3 others, and we were the most on form climbers. Each time up the hill the pace was very steady and hard and it was a good break-away group. On the last lap there were no attacks up the hill, we seemed to be happy with our break and simply waited for the sprint. My CCCX team mate went for a good lead out trying to set me up. He signaled me to follow his lead out. But I was marked, so I eased up and he just rolled off the front as the other riders sat on my wheel, and then sprinted the final 400 yards on his own. It was a good win for him and the CCCX kit, and I was happy to play a role in his win. I had won the past 3 versions of this Twilight race, so I was content to see my CCCX team mate pull off the win. His name is John Pattullo & I gave him a nickname- "Primetime Pattullo", and it is a pleasure to set him up at times for the win.
