Tactics

With Christopher Robin on a plane to London, Hawk Hill's a race again. This morning, almost all the hummingbirds stayed in bed, all except for JayBird, who back before Christopher Robin's arrival was the hummingist of the hummingbirds, now back from a six month sabattical, while the 38 degree temp and perhaps the emotional letdown from last week's KOM climb limited the crowd.

I thought to myself, with JayBird just working his way into shape, if I can leave him soon after the Start, stranding him in the Flats where I've found myself abandoned so many times, then I can solo this mother from bottom to top. A fair plan, but one entirely dependent on JayBird getting stranded in the Flats. So I pedalled hard, started staring at my shoes early, and soloed through the Flats, out of sight of anybody when I finally looked back halfway through, thinking there might be a finish on top with nobody else in the picture, but not out of sight at the first few turns. There was a train of four headed into the stiff headwind about twenty seconds behind me, JayBird riding caboose. A punch in the gut, but I kept on pedalling, even hanging on JayBird's wheel for a minute when he passed me a little after the Circle, but with a minute left, when he stood up for the final push, I had nothing left and I wondered if I shouldn't have been the fifth person in that train.

That left the Sprint as my only chance for a jersey. I've got some work to do to beat the brash arriviste, Johnny Utah. The guy stood up twice in the ride, first at the beginning, when I went like hell to stay on his wheel, thinking there were just three of us in the break and if I could stay on his wheel I'd be fine, then at the end. I had foolishly passed him far too early, thinking that maybe I could get an early jump and put some distance between us, but he hung right on my wheel and when he pulled on out, he had a gear I didn't have. I didn't even come across the line second, Laurent Blanc coming up all the way from the back to remind me that I most definitely hadn't won this one. 0 for 2 this morning. The body's to blame, but tactics might have something to do with it, too. At least I'd like to think so.