Hard to believe it's only week 10

Hard to believe it's only week 10.  My confidence is really growing on the bike about what I can do.  Obviously I have my limits at the moment still, but I am riding much stronger, more aggressively, more confidently and especially in the scratch race, I really had a go to try and hurt the bunch as no-one was doing anything but sitting for the sprint.  I did hurt about half the bunch, but unfortunately there were some pretty powerful men who outsprinted me at the end.  I already knew they had lots of power, but couldn't sustain it for long, so were likely to do okay in the sprint.  The only thing I could think of was trying to hurt them on the hills, and see if I could get one or two to come with me.  Very exciting to drop the whole bunch twice on the hills.  There was a downhill counter attack after my second hill attack, and I chased them down and as they slowed up to see what they had done to the bunch, I smiled at the lead rider just to let him know I was still there :>)  Arguably I tapped my own energy reserves too with the hill attacks, but I was pretty confident with my training that with recovery I would still have plenty left for the sprint.

Handicap ladies sprint was pretty hairy.  We were finishing at about 20-30 overall (scratch won the race), and because the men in front of us were easing up as they were out of the placings, as we were accelerating towards them.  They of course had no idea that the ladies sprint finish was happening behind them, and there was a bit of yelling to tell people to hold their line.  And of course other men who weren't sitting up.  Pretty hairy - Bit like sprinting through a supermarket isle on a Saturday morning with a trolley!  Some of the women pulled out for this reason.  Anyway, I picked up 3rd lady and there was less than a wheel in the finishings.

Anyway, great weekend for building my confidence.

- Fran Medina