California Bicycle Racing (CBR)

Cat. 4/5 field was weak, but I attribute that to the USCF allowing 200,000 Cat. IVs in the Dana Point race. The Masters 40+ had a good field, and it was competitive, so that's always good to observe.The Pro/1/2/3 field was either fast, hard, or both. It seemed that Jamie Paolinetti, Alexi Martinez, and Michael Johnson all had targets on their jerseys because everyone attached themselves to their wheels.

Here's the thing...the entire group cannot let these three do all the work, because they will get tired AND pissed off. If you are going to insert yourself into their inner circle, then you are going to hafta work with them. That's the rule. If you give them permission to lead, then you must follow; otherwise, you use them like crack ho's and attack them the first chance they show any signs of weakness or fatigue (thus putting them on defense instead of offense).

For me, it felt hard the entire race until 2 laps to go, then it seemed like everyone shut down to prep for their world-class sprint. I want to thank Alexi, Michael, and Jamie for making me hurt and for making me a better racer. It's because of them that I secretly train so I can counter-attack them and put them on defense one day! Ha!