As the race started, my original plan was to sit back and mark Roy through the whole race. While this wouldn't get me 1st, it would keep me at second, which at first I was satisfied with. I started to notice that Roy, for whatever reason, was struggling today and not at top form. Two MSU riders were already up the road, so I decided to go with an attack that an Aggie rider started to see if I could drop Roy. At first it was me, and SMU rider, the aggie, and Roy with one of his teammates. The SMU rider wanted me to help chase the two MSU riders up the road, and I told him I would as long as he helped me to drop Roy. Roy was trying to stay on, but couldn't quite keep up with our relentless attacks. He soon fell behind.
Now it was just A&M, UT, SMU, and one MSU rider. We tried to chase the group ahead but never quite caught them. I was really okay with this because I knew I just needed to be ahead of Roy to win the overall. At the end of the race, the aggie took a flyer to get third, and I outsprinted the SMU and MSU rider for fourth. Roy ended up at 9th, far enough down for me to overtake him in the overall.
I was glad that I have been working so hard all fall and winter long, and that all that hard work is finally starting to pay off. I like to say all the time that races are not won the day of the race, but in the weeks or months leading up the event. This was definitely true.
Next week at Tunis, we will have a full team of riders and should expect great results at that race. Hopefully my training will go well this week!
Also, congrats to my lovely girlfriend Ally, for passing her exams to become a nurse! Now she has a 2 month internship to complete before she can call herself a full-fledged RN! I am excited for her!
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