More Bike-Antics

Once again on Saturday, I found myself on my bike holding on for dear life through training drills and exercises, attacks, and sprints. This time I was riding with Team Biker's Choice from Hendersonville, TN, from the Store of the same name.
Right off the top, I have to say I LOVE THOSE GUYS because they willingly let me train with them despite the fact that I ride for another team; though I will say, I'd gladly have ridden for them if they had women.
So Saturday, I was training , not with other women , but with all male riders from young to , well... 'my age +' ;)
I do not ride with Team Biker's Choice unless I am feeling my best, I do NOT want to be the one to hold them up-- not that they'd stop! Even more so, because of the 'being the only girl' thing. But it was hot Saturday, and that works to my advantage. I managed to keep up with some of their sprints and follow an attack or two-- good progress for me. And when it came to the last sprint drill, they let me be 'team captain'. I had to ask what that meant... but what it meant was that I was the 'guy' that my team was riding 'for'-- I was Lance; or Levi. I was the one who was to sprint over the line! They were the riders who would protect me & keep me fresh, letting me draft in their slipstream until I was within sprinting distance of the finish line. The other team was supporting my nemesis, Ron.
What a fun drill! What awesome riders pulled me to the sprint line-- and I won! But as you can clearly see, they won it! I won, but they did all the work. I have watched plenty of pro-cycling, but the camera always favors the star, here in a practical drill, I saw who really works in team cycling.
In explanation, no, I'm not all that new to this, I am a 'cat 3' racer. But I never have teammates to work with in our races. Women's numbers are small in local competitions, so we all work together until we get close to the finish and then a switch goes off and it's every girl for herself. I've never had the experience of having a team work for me until , well, Saturday. I really liked it ;)