Podium at Expo worlds?

The 4th expo "race" of the night began with the expo club telling us two groups would go due to the large number of riders in attendance. There would be an "A" group and a "B" group. Joe T. told me he wasn't feeling good and was going with the "B's". David H., winner of the first expo ride, told me he was also, "taking it easy" and riding with the "B's". Soon the "B's" took off from the parking lot. I noticed that the "B" group was much larger and contained most of the riders who would be considered "A" level. I sprinted after them, I needed to catch up before the "B" race started. It was going to be fast.

Shortly after the start Lance J., Joe Tindal, and Mike N. started launching attacks up the road. Joe told me he was going to take it easy, however his attacks said otherwise. I was concerned he would explode from the effort early in the ride. I always enjoy riding with Joe and was hoping he would last until the finish.

After a few climbs I was riding with Joe and he told me he was starting to feel like he was going to pop. I told him to relax and think about something else. He had to keep within himself. If he got too panicked and excited on the climb he would surely explode and then his ride would be all over.

Luckily after a few more climbs he had recovered and was ready to ride hard in the finishing miles. Meanwhile David H. was trying, in his own way, to keep us from popping. He was riding along next to us making farting sounds. Then midway up one of the climbs when I was riding a hard tempo, he rode ahead of me and popped a wheelie.

David's shenanigans were a distraction from the effort at hand. It was difficult to ride hard. I said to myself, "different people like different things, let Dave enjoy what he likes, you just continue to ride hard."

With three miles left I went very hard and opened up a small gap on the other riders. I soon realized I was going far too hard. I would pop if I did not back down soon. I rejoined the other riders and continued to go hard with the group to make the effort more enjoyable.

Nearing the finish Joe came up to me and told me he would lead me out. A lead out is a tactic in cycling where a teammate will sacrifice his own sprint by going really hard and popping slightly before the finish. The other rider positions him or herself behind the rider and does not have to ride as hard before the finish. By making this sacrifice to his own performance Joe put me in a good, comfortable position for the finish. I rode right behind him as he went very hard, a nearly unsustainable pace for much more than 30 seconds.

As Joe was ending his 30 seconds of effort I noticed Jeff burst from my left. I let out my burst, wheezing as I tried to get everything out of my body. Another rider burst from the right. I finished 3rd in the group. David, Joe, and Lance finished right after me. It was exciting to mix it up right at the end, as all the riders drained themselves in one final, super hard effort. I continue to enjoy the action and excitement every Tuesday night and look forward to seeing everyone go hard next week.