Bear Lake Classic

Decided to try my hand at another road race this past weekend. The Bear Lake Classic is a 52 mile circumnavigation of Bear Lake in northern Utah. I wasn't expecting much considering my past experiences on the road bike, so I went into the race pretty relaxed. The race started out like a leisurely ride with no one making any break attempts. That continued for about 30 miles then the pace quickened substantially. As soon as we sped up a crash hit the middle of the peloton and one rider suffered a broken arm. I didn't see the crash but I could hear the carnage from behind. It still gives me the chills when I hear bikes hit the ground like that. As we neared the 35 mile mark, a couple of riders made a break attempt off the front. No one wanted to reel them in so I had to. The effort split the peloton into lead group of about 15 riders and 35 chasing riders. A few miles down the road, that same rider made another break attempt which split the lead group down to seven. I made the break! I was pretty excited. My legs felt great and I knew if I played my cards right I'd have a good chance to win. I began to size up the rest of the riders and I identified those who I felt were the strongest. As the finish line approached I kept right on the wheels of the strong riders. With 1k to go, one of the strong guys took off. I knew he went way too early so I sat in patiently. I was right. He soon popped and we caught him with about 400m to go. At that point I decided to go for it. I sprinted off the front and felt myself break away from everyone. I saw the finish line ahead but it just couldn't come quick enough. I felt my legs begin to burn and my power fade. I looked down and I could see the shadow of a rider right on my wheel. At that point, two riders passed me to take 1st and 2nd with me finishing a solid 3rd. Even though I almost tasted victory, it was nice to finally have a road race turn out favorably. Maybe this road racing can be fun?!