Stupid beats Strong

When you're stupid, it doesn't matter how strong you are. After the TT, I was sitting in 9th (out of 100 starters), about 51 seconds off the lead, but only 10 seconds out of third. Were I smart, I would have realized that there probably weren't 10 guys that could beat me up the finish hill, so I could probably defend the top 10 and likely move up if I just stayed in the pack and played it cool.

Of course, I didn't do that.

20 minutes into the 75 mile race, I decide to roll off alone. There are two guys up the road, and I figure I might be able to bridge. That doesn't happen, so I spend the next 40 minutes out in the 20mph winds by myself. I'm 2 minutes back of the leaders, and 1 minute ahead of the field. Finally, after 40 minutes, the field gets close, and two guys bridge, then two more. We're now in a tailwind section, so the draft sucks. I hang with them for 20 minutes or so, then realize I'm done. My plan is to ride steady and try to make it to the top of the big climb before the field catches me.

That doesn't happen either.

Two more guys bridge, and I stick with them. We spend another 40 minutes about 1 minute up on the field, before one guy has to take a leak. Although he rolls it, that's the end of our gap and the field catches us. The next 20 miles are stupid boring. No one works, and the guys up the road stay away. I try to eat and rest up for the final climb, but I don't have it. I hang with the group until about 1k to go, then every thing goes to hell and I'm going backward.

Three guys stayed out, and I've raced with and never lost to the guy that ended up 4th. Had I stayed with the field the entire race, 4th was totally reachable, but it would have annoyed me to no end to ride around in a big bunch at 150 watts for 3 hours and not do anything, so I'm happy with the day.

Now my legs hurt. I was off the front for more than half the race (about 38 miles), with nothing to show for it, except some self-righteous elitism. But I already had that.

UPDATE: One guy stayed away. We caught everyone else, so second place was up for grabs for the field.