Lane "M. BAIT" Willer

Valley of the Sun started with the TT on Day 1, where we had a strong tail/crosswind going out and a head/crosswind coming back, which made for a challenging effort. Happy to take 23rd on the day, though.

The next day was the road race. We started slow and gradually ramped it up as the race went on. It was a constant fight for position until the final sprint. I led it out but went a little too early with 1k to go. @jackson clary stayed patient and smart, and won the sprint for first on the day.

Lastly was the crit — a race I’ve historically had bad luck in. We launched off the start, and it was a battle to move to the front. Just as I began to move up, I crashed with about 10 laps to go. I came away battered and bruised with a solid headache, but that’s racing. On to the next adventure in Texas.

Down in Texas, we opened the Lago Vista La Primavera weekend with another TT. The corners and lines were fast, but the wind made pacing tricky. I probably could’ve paced it better, but I was happy with another top 20 and a few power PRs.

The next day was Circuit #1 — 11 laps of a 5-mile clockwise course. It was hot, hard, and brutal. A break went up the road about four laps in that looked threatening. When I saw my opportunity, I committed to the front and helped bring it back to give @jackson and me a shot. I was cooked after that effort, so I spent the rest of the race tailgunning and trying to move up before the sprint. I got boxed in and finished around 25–30, but helped make sure @Jackson was in position — and he won the field sprint for 3rd overall.

To round out the weekend, we raced the same circuit counter-clockwise. The 15/16s briefly neutralized us when they passed, but afterward I saw an opportunity to move up. I made it to the front, and a lap later a small group of us attacked and gained a gap. After a few hard laps, we were told we had a 4.5-minute advantage. We held it to the finish despite a few attacks within the group. On the final lap, the rider I originally attacked with, went again and got clear. The rest of us sprinted for 2nd–7th. With tired legs and less-than-ideal positioning, I came in 6th, 18th overall GC.

Very happy with the result and the weekend, but still some areas to improve. Now into some much-needed recovery before the next endeavor.