Deer Trail

Saturday was the local Deer Trail road race. For once, the weather gave us just about the most perfect day for racing--sub 80 degree temps and a deep blue, cloudless sky. For various reasons, the Pro field was pretty small at this race, though that doesn't guarantee an easy race. Some of the fastest guys in the country live and race in Colorado.
After a half an hour delay, we started racing, with a small group of guys immediately riding off the front. Partially because no one was motivated to chase this early in the race, and partially because those riders' teammates back in the main group were trying to slow us down, the group opened up a gap of a few minutes. Back in the main group, I had an easy ride for at least an hour. A couple times, I went to the front to make my presence known and to up the pace a little. Soon enough, the attacks started, as guys tried to get off the front of the group. In the Pro races, attacks come a lot more frequently than in the lower categories, and those accelerations definitely start to wear on you.
Towards the end of the race, the course got a lot hillier, and the intensity got higher as people were motivated to try to catch the guys who were still off the front. At one point, I got in a breakaway for several miles, but the main group just wasn't going to let us get away, and we were soon back in the fold. For the rest of the race, I stayed near the front of the group, and tried to ride smart. Doing that paid off, as the race in the main group came down to a bunch sprint. I finished 7th in the group finish for a 18th overall placing (due to the small group that finished ahead of us). I raced well, felt good, and got my first top 20 finish. Great day!