I feel like my training isn't quite where I had hoped it to be, and definitely not where it was at this time last year, so I had extra jitters heading into this one. We got to the course nice and early, lots of time to get a few laps in before the 10am start.
Finally time to line up, with Rachael's help, I got wedged into a spot on the front row. Mel was off the line first, but managed to take herself out in one of the first corners. I snuck around her, hit the barriers first, and with it, grabbed the $20 barrier prime. Sadly, the next minute or so were all I saw of the front of the race - Mel was quick to get back up to speed, and staying on her wheel was beyond me.
The rest of the race stayed pretty much unchanged - Mel had a gap of about 40s on me, and I had a pretty comfortable gap on Rachael. I was really focusing on how I was cornering, trying different things to see what felt more comfortable.
I spent some time riding with Chris in M2. We came through the finish together, and got the signal for one to go, so I picked it up a bit for my "last" lap. Came through the finish again, but no one said anything at the line, so I rolled around the next corner, slowed down and called "Is that it?". The response: "Nope, you've got one to go." Aaaah, frig. I was pretty fried, and so flustered, I nearly took myself out on the barriers. It took me a while to find my rhythm again, and to push myself through some of windy straightaways. Dear race organizers, please remember lap cards!
All in all, a good day. Nice to start the season with a podium finish, and feel like I can improve from here. Heck, just nice to start the season!
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