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*I did my best to keep the camera clean but it was impossible as it would immediately get muddy. This is a good representation of what I could actually see out of my glasses during the race.
The Cedar Blitz gravel race took place on July 8th, 2023 in Cedar Springs, MI. As part of the Michigan Gravel Race Series (MGRS) the "Long" course was the 50 mile version. The morning of the race and just before the start, the area received some decent rain that muddied the course. This made this race very challenging as I couldn't see for most of the race and it was very sketchy. This definitely affected how I raced as I didn't want to take any risk of crashing.
The race started with a 2 mile neutral roll out to the start line where we stopped until a horn signaled the start. Legs felt good and I was able to stay with the front group for about the first 6 miles. Unfortunately, I had to close too many gaps and eventually I couldn't anymore and lost the front group. I felt I had the legs to stay with the front group longer if I were able to have followed wheels that didn't get gapped off.
Once I settled into the chase group I was around familiar racers from previous races. I must have put too much effort into the beginning, because I struggled for the next hour holding on to this group. Luckily I was able to push through pain and eventually my legs came back around. I ended up finishing with this group and once again it came down to a field sprint. I missed an opportunity when 2 riders got ahead of the group early, but was able to once again win the field sprint from the remaining group near the finish.
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