Racing at Paraparap and NO repeat NO mechanical issues!

Paraparap is about a 2.5 hour drive away from home, so any race at this location becomes almost a  full day for me....I'm not sure what is the most tiring..the travelling or the racing.  I've been there before for a race with the Geelong vets, but their course is a 2 lapper at 20km , whereas this one is a there and back course of close to 25km. 

D grade was populated by most of the women with me being first cab off the rank as the oldest and potentially the slowest which seems to be my lot in life now...better get used to it.  There are a few downsides to being first off:

• the traffic marshals aren't always ready for you
• there are no bums to chase
• you have the longest wait for the presentations

actually I've never had the first one happen before, but it surely did this time.  Approaching the last right hand bend on the way home onto a major road one is around a blind corner and the marshal there wasn't ready for me...at all.  Luckily there was no traffic on the main road I was crossing into.  As to the last point...well I got tired of waiting and, not realising I would feature, left before the presentation.....whoops!

The starting few km was into a block head wind which was gusting fairly strongly when I set off.....management of my energy levels at this point came close to cracking wide open, but luckily it didn't and so I was able to pound on and enjoy the total hoon over the same road on the way home..topping out at 51kph.  Needless to say all my 5 km splits were negative compared to the first 5km.

I return here twice more (once on each course) before travelling to warmer weather in 45 days, so those 2  plus 1 race at Castlemaine (starts with a 2km climb so I'm told) and 1 race at the Kew Boulie will see the end of this racing block.   TG