Did anybody else get oh-so-close? I was 61/592 for 55-59, 78.2452. The 59th guy was 78.4861. (The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat!) Needless to say, I've been agonizing over what I could've/should've done differently. Foremost is Eagleman, where I got nabbed for a four-minute drafting penalty. This really proved to be a double-whammy, as it was at a time in which I was just sitting back on the bike, kind of zoning out for a few minutes. So not only wasn't I pushing hard at that point, but I also got the penalty. That dropped me from 5:09 to 5:13, and I think the .2409 difference is right there. Batshit.

Beyond this, I had 7 sanctioned races - 3 sprints, 2 olys, 2 1/2s, and an iron. I'm pleased that both of the 1/2s were part of the ranked races, along with one of the sprints, and that at all four distances I did quite well. But still, it's time to re-think how I schedule races -- if I am to really care about the rankings, that is. I don't mean to go the super-sprint route -- I love the longer distances too much -- but rather allowing sufficient rest between races. Doing Timberman 4 weeks after IMLP was not smart, although I did it in 5:30 and it was one of my ranked races. Much food for thought, at any rate...........and LOTS of incentive for working hard in this off-season!!