a start to summer

A start to summer

June wasn't a great month for me for placing in bike races, some races things go your way and other they work against you. The fort classic at the beginning of June was a hectic race and for me was my home course, and had hoped to do well. Yet as the field was heading towards the line every one had the same idea, to move to the front for a sprint and I'm not aggressive when the field up front swells. 

The hilly billy towards the end of June was a tough day in the saddle for me, I rode the mountain bike so I would be less prone to flats and I would have some confidence on the descents. As the race started I rode with a couple different groups but since I was trying not to bonk like the year before I eased off the effort and they slipped away as I got to the first aid station a teammate pulled in behind me and it was Justine and I finished filling my bottles and caught up to her as she was leaving the aid station. Justine was planning on finishing within about 6 and half hours and that sounded like a time that id like to finish so I tried to keep pace with her. I was feeling well and thought I had been hydrating and eat just enough that I wouldn't, well I was wrong by the time we reached the 2^nd aid station I was suffering and was having a hard time keeping food down. I topped off my bottles and caught back up to the girls I was riding with. 

 From here on out my memory of the event is fuzzy but I know around mile 50 as we were riding up hill I bonked and as I was heading up the hill it broke me, I almost cried but sucked it up as I knew I had 24 miles to go. The miles slowly ticked by and I was slowly starting to lose it until I reached the base of the climb up to aid station 3 I pulled in laid my bike on the hill side and took my bottle. I was dead on my feet I got ice water in my bottle and was handed a popsicle and found my self some shade to work on rehydrating and being able to finish. After I left the aid station I actual don't remember much of the rest just remember forcing my self to take a drink every 5-15 minutes to keep my mind on that and stay sane. After pulling in to the finish I just rolled over to the team tent and just laid in the shade until I felt I would be able to get food into my system.