Getting there

The past few days have given me a glimpse of the work the next few months will bring. After finishing class and finals I drove to LA to work on my track skills with Adam Duvendeck.
One of my greatest weaknesses on the bike is my inability to coordinate my pedal strokes between my left and right legs. In an effort to utilize my left leg my body tends to forget about my right leg, leaving it to turn a blocky, inefficient pedal stroke.
After working on starts with my power meter on my road bike, I tried a start on the track, only focusing on turning a perfect circle with my right leg as I drove off the line. I was able to drop my one lap
time below 24 sec, the first time I've seen a time that low. After driving home I packed for a week at home.
My training did not break for my trip as I stopped in the farmland south of my family's ranch to wring out some intervals on my TT bike. I've felt great the past few days, not having school
on my mind has allowed me to recover well, even with several long car trips.
Sunday was a different matter. When I picked up my number at reg the field size of twelve was a bit worrying. A wide open 1 km course, there would be few places to hide until the end. As I rolled around my opponents were sweating on trainers, talking of breakways and people to watch.
The race started off well enough, I easily matched the accelerations, watched people make digs off the front. My problem arose as I found myself on the front, chasing a few guys off the front. I was able to bring them back but flew off the back as multiple guys lit some sizable matches in an attempt to get off the front. The move proved successful several laps later as I rolled off the course toward home.
I came away frustrated, at myself and my inability to match the speed of the field. I made up for my race by flogging myself on the ride home. I dug deep on the climbs, didn't grab gears but instead muscled through the steeper pitches.
My race yesterday was my first and my intended last DNF of the year. I found myself in unfamiliar territory, no teammates, and no large field to hide in when in trouble. While unsuccessful, the race was another stepping stone on my way towards the top.
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