Comeback Race

Race Report
Location: Heffron Park - Club Racing (Cat 4)
Grade: C Grade
Race Distance: 28.5km (14 laps)
My Average Speed: 34.6km/hr (49:30 mins)
Placing: OTA
Conditions: Windy, NE, tailwind down the main finishing straight, but block headwind on the back of the course, pretty strong. Temperature about 25C. Sunny.

After far too long off the bike, and racing being non-existent since April, I thought I'd throw caution to the wind and have a race straight away. In previous years, I've trained hard to get fit before heading back, but have suffered anyway in my first race. May as well get the "Sufferfest" over and done with.

So the race started as any other. I settled into the bunch and felt quite comfortable. The pace wasn't overly fast and into the headwind along the back of the course was okay for me.
On lap 8 there was a kick in pace that strung the bunch of 28 starters out in a single line. Down the finish straight doing 45km/hr in single file, there was an abrupt drop in pace that had me go from mid-field, straight through the bunch to the front. Bugger!
Ah, what the heck. Drop the shoulders and plowed on getting a maximum gap of about 15 metres on the peleton, but it closed down quick enough into the headwind. But no-one came through. One-and-a-half laps later, I was till on the front, but now slowing a little, there was an attack from the bunch, and unfortunately, the lack of racing meant I just couldn't accelerate fast enough to stay with them. Out the ar$3, dropped after 10 laps.
Still managing to keep going, I finished race distance, about half a lap behind the winners.
This comeback could take longer than I first thought.