This was my first outdoor race of the season, my first crit in about a year and half, and the beginning of my self-proclaimed “comeback” to bike racing, so I wasn't sure how my performance would pan out. I lined up for the Masters 1,2,3 with Luke and Randy. Despite the dreadful weather forecasts, conditions at the start were fine, a bit cool and windy, but dry roads.

I will start by saying I loved the course. Very smooth, fast, wide, and not technical. Thanks to Burnham for putting on this great race. I will definitely be back and highly recommend the race to others.

The pace started fairly slow but it wasn't long before Randy got in a break. This was eventually caught and shortly after Luke got in a promising break with early season strong man and frequent victor Andy Daley. I'm not sure what exactly happened next, and I forgot to ask Luke about it after the race, but all I saw was Luke riding out of the grass. He didn't seem to go down but that break died as well.

I decided to try my luck, got a decent gap, and was joined by one other rider. We raced fairly well together and the field did not put together a consistent chase so we stayed out a long time, most of the race. I was feeling strong and started to think we would make it. With about 4 or 5 laps to go we were joined by Daley, who upped the tempo and then I really though we were going to survive. For the first lap or so that he was with us I continued to feel strong, but then things started to unravel. I missed a pull, struggled to stay on, basically hit my limit and got dropped. Eventually the other two were caught as well and in the field sprint, I ended up somewhere about 15th.

I have mixed feelings about the race. On the negative side, I feel bad for getting dropped from the break. You feel like you let down your breakaway partners and also your teammates, who sat complacent for the majority of the race while I tried and ultimately failed to keep a break alive. Also, my racing skills felt a bit rusty, but I think they should return quickly. On the positive side, it was great to be racing again. I love the breakaway. I think it is one of the best parts of bike racing, and it was fun while it lasted, despite my ultimate undoing. Overall, I am pleased with my early season fitness. Still a lot of progress to be made, but there is a long season ahead.

There were many outstanding XXX performances in multiple races. Congratulations to Kyle, Briney, and Moyer for their victories. It looks to be the start of a great season. Next up, Hillsboro.