The Tour of Newport News was an absolute blast – not necessarily because of the weather, but thanks to the incredible energy. The super well-organized, three-day omnium packed in a points race, TT, crit, and circuit race, drawing some of the strongest Cat 3/4 riders from the East Coast. Easily the toughest Cat 3/4 racing I’ve done yet.
Overall, I felt really good about my personal performance, even if there were things I wish I’d handled differently. In the 35-lap points race with 0.8 km per lap, I managed to hold my position near the front but got swarmed before each of the seven sprints because I wasn’t willing to take risks riding in the pouring rain and finished 15th/32.
The hilly, 8 km TT went well throughout – I paced it right and hit a new personal power record over the duration. Can’t ask for more, and I wasn’t disappointed with finishing “just” 31st/45. As I do more of these TTs, I’m starting to develop a better instinct for pacing different lengths.
The 40-minute crit was a highlight – short, punchy, and fast, with 8 corners over just 1 km. My positioning was solid the whole race until the finish when I struggled (or was too afraid) to hold my spot and placed 19th/52. See it for yourself on YouTube via my GoPro cameras.
The final 40 km circuit race was windy and technical, with several sharp corners over 5 km per lap. My legs felt much less punchy, and I didn’t have the energy to stay much at the front. The series of turns leading to the finish shook things up even more, with riders getting pushed off the course. I came in 23rd/49 and the GoPro footage is on YouTube too.
Even though I was happy with my personal performance, I’ll admit I had hoped it would place me higher relative to other riders. Racing against some of the best Cat 3/4s on the East Coast was a wake-up call! More power will definitely help, but so will trusting myself to fight for positions when they matter the most.
