The race results were just posted.

Results

Men's Cat. 4
Allen Stewart

I ended up doing pretty well. I took 7th. I got beat at the line by one or two people, but it happens. I need to remember to push it all the way through the line!

Anyways, it was a pretty good race. I started out in the absolute back of the pack for the first ten miles or so, which sucked. In a big group there is an accordian effect that happens. Little changes in pace at the front turn into pretty dramatic changes by the time it reaches the back; so I found myself sprinting then slamming on the brakes repeatedly. Once i got tired of that I slowly moved myself up towards the front thrid and was much more comfortable. The pace stayed pretty slow through the whole first lap and the first half of the second which made me pretty frustrated. I want to be working hard all the time. So I went off on soem stupid solo attacks that went nowhere. I guess I should be flattered that the group wouldn't let me go, which means they saw me as some sort of threat. Looking back those attacks were pretty stupid. I know they weren't going to go anywhere and I probably burnt a few matches that would have been nice to have at the finish! Anyways, after getting reeled in for the second time, i came abck to the pack and tried to keep myself within the front 20 guys. Which is no easy feat when there are 60+ other people that want the same spot! The finish was a fairly step uphill sprint which suits me pretty well.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the result. It make me feel pretty good knowing all those hours I slogged through the rain, and spent inside on the trainer weren't a total waste! For the first race of the season, and in Feb. nonetheless, I'll take it. And! I earned some upgrades points too! My biggest goal for this season is to upgrade to Cat. 3. I definitely didn't expect to get any points in my first Cat. 4 race.

Cat. 4 points: 3
Need points for upgrade: 20

update: OBRA Results