Notes
This evening was the second étape of the Tour du Canton, and it went even better than last week. This course was out of the city a good ways to the southwest, in an absolutely beautiful area of vineyards and very small, old towns. The course was fairly hilly though which was tough, and it was very hot this evening. Nevertheless, I ran hard today, and ended up finishing third overall! Three guys went out very fast together and I settled in comfortably with the chase pack, drafting in that group through a little more than 5k. Then, I seized an opportunity to break away as a couple of guys slowed very slightly for a water station, and I committed to the move. I surged a bit, lucky to have a well-placed downhill, and managed to extend the lead by a good margin. Looking back at about 6.5k, I noticed that the next guy was gaining on me a bit, but I buckled down and pulled away again. Then, I noticed (to my complete surprise) that I was also gaining on the guy in 3rd, who apparently fell off of the lead pack. With 1k to go I passed him, and then finished strong and held my position by a comfortable margin.
I raced hard, but was very pleased with the time considering the hills and the heat, and I think I ran the race really well. And I even managed to come away with a nice gift card as a prize too!