Dropped again!

Sensations were a little better than Tuesday actually, but the outcome was the same. The quality of the riders today was much improved. As with all rides, it's always important to stay near the front. But I couldn't do that today.

I moved to the front once the pace started to get serious. However, after foolishly taking a pull in front when I was already nearly in the red, I started to struggle. The group entered the straights of Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim, and as I peeled off to drift towards the back of the group, I realised that it wasn't just that I slowed, but the group was picking up speed. I knew it would be crucial to slot in somewhere near the middle of the group, but everyone was still strong and did not leave significant gaps for me to slot in. When I reached the rear, it was only by going into great aerobic debt that I accelerated to latch on. It was then that I noticed the pace was no slouch... I was already putting the hammer down, but I started to slip backwards while in the draft! A quick check of the speedo showed 47kmh as I was dropping back... On previous rides when I kept up the same stretch was covered at 45kmh. I was just in the red and keeping my profile as low as possible. I was barely staying.

And then things ended when the round about came, where me and another fella at the rear of the group were forced to stop due to approaching traffic from the side. At such high intensities, the group hardly waits and those in front tend to take risks... It's every man for himself, so you need to look after your own safety... Another real reason why you need to stay near the front. After that it was just impossible to catch up. I tried working together with my felllow straggler but 44kmh dwindled to 41kmh, and well, it was just physiologically not possible to chase.

At the end of the day, it's a matter of repeated bouts of maximum power output. Just need to try again and again. Just like how it was in past. Start from scratch...