Tour of the Gila Stage 4

Stage 4 in the Tour of the Gila was a 40 lap CRIT through downtown Silver City. Once again it was very fast and windy. I went to the front early so I would have a shot at winning some money and maybe the race. The first prime was on lap eight and a Successful Living rider went off the front during the climb. He had a decent gap but I wanted to pay for this weeks groceries and chased him down. I caught him about 100 yards before the line and out sprinted him for the money. He was pretty upset that I sat up after the prime but until he gives me part of his pay check I'm not working for him. I was still feeling strong but my seat started to fall off so I had to stop at the pit before I ended up with a seat post up my butt. The referee wouldn't give me a free lap because in his judgment it was not a legitimate mechanical. This ment that I had to chase back onto the group which was an impossibility. I ended up strolling around the coarse until they pulled me so I would get a pro-rated time and still start tomorrow. The rest of the team finished in the main pack and stayed out of the wind. At least I'll be a little more recovered for the big 105 mile ride with 5 categorised climbs in the morning.