Completed my first race last weekend. To say I did poorly would be an understatment. A little background first. The race was a 44 mile Cat 5 race in HIllsboro, Illinois. It is by all accounts a very difficult and particularly hilly race. It was 41 degrees and the winds were 17-19 mph. I am 55 years old and have been riding seriously for about 5 years. Over the last few months I have solicited advice from this board on a few occasions about what to expect and some specific advice. I can say that everything was very helpfull, but it didn't help me much. When I saw the majority of other races were 20 years younger than me I chose to start at the back. I was concerned about a 90 degree turn about 100 yards into the race and didn't want to go down or cause anyone else to go down. I had no idea (even though I was warned on this board) how fast the group would start. It took a great deal of energy to catch the group after this start and just when I did, about 2 miles in, we hit a long, long reasonably steep hill. I never caught them again. I was able to hang on with a few others who got dropped and one other guy and I worked together to get through it, but I had no idea how exhausting it would be. I actually came away very frustrated and not sure it I wanted to try it again. But now after a few days I realize I learned a great deal about the process and that I have a lot of work to do. I am going to try it again, but I think my next race will be in mid summer when I am more in bike condition and on a flatter course. Thanks for all your advice over the past few months. Now I just need to learn how to use it. Mick