Race Report: Monterey CCCX #2

The Monterey CCCX was a windy circuit race in Monterey, CA. It was the same weekend as the Madera stage race. Knowing that most of the local strong riders would be at Madera, I knew this would be a valuable opportunity to scrape some upgrade points to Cat 1. I was right! About 25 riders appeared for the Pro-1-2-3 field. The course was a roughly 4 mile loop on rolling hills, with a fierce wind. Early in the race, the top 10 or so riders broke away from the pack. There were numerous attacks, including a four man super-break that stuck for a while, but a lack of teamwork and strong wind brought everything back together. The last two miles of the race were a long match sprint. No one wanted to work, or attack into the wind. I found a strong wheel on a Cal Giant rider (who?), and managed to contest a field sprint for third place. All of that specific sprint work seems to have paid off! The SL3 was the perfect bike for the race - light, stiff, and comfortable.