Wow.....I got a big slice of humble pie today. So much for my conditioning level and HUGE props to the people that can race back to back days.
Congrats to Gary for a great race today (4th, I think). Check out Gary flying through the barriers in the first two shots! Thanks for the pictures, Anna.
OK; Gary, Sadie,the Miranda girls, Anna (wearing a cutter's kit) & I (David S. too) all showed up in orange-n-blue with a heavy representation of Orrville folks. The course was....uh, lots of grass, one set of barriers, no run ups, a couple of rollers, some turns through trees and a 20 meter or so section of single track. Not very technical and did I say LONG stretches of grass? It's windy, cool and for the first time this season feels like cyclocross weather. I'm thinking that this is my workout and to check to see where I am conditioning wise after racing the UCI race yesterday.
Anna is racing Cs and does well in getting 2nd women's. The B race is ready to go; Gary is in the front row along with Tony and I'm in the second next to Julie. The start is sounded and off we go for the hole shot; Tony almost wipes out, I look up and it's just a stark guy, Gary & I going into the first turn....nice! We are heading for the barriers in great shape and I start feeling like suddenly I don't have any go in the legs....what the heck? Gary looks back & I yell at him just to go and close down the gap on the guy and the race for me is basically over. Sure, I give it everything, but there is just nothing really left so I just try to keep fighting and do the best I can. Wow, the best was really bad. I get passed by almost everyone; I tell Julie to kick some a$$ as she goes by me and she says to hang in there....I finally hang onto an orrville and summit guy and just hang on and hope the pain will stop soon. This goes on for like forever it seems and just when I think my legs have finally gotten back to me we cross the line and I swear they say 4 laps to go....there are no lap cards, but the time show 32 minutes....sh*t, no way there are 4 laps to go...I almost get off my bike and stop right there. I work through that and right before single track, the Orrville guy almost wipes out huge but saves it...I pass him (and yell way to save it man!)and figure to try to gap the guys. I find out that next lap is the bell lap so I'm going to see if I can't try to do something positive today. I'm leading and hit the barriers hard keep the gap, hit the road section still in front and enter the trees. Instead of going through the pine tree section carefully, I go hard and then suddenly the bike is no longer under me and I'm bouncing off of the ground like a rag doll. I'm on my back and I remember looking up at the sky....gee, what a pretty sky....oh sh*t, I'm supposed to be racing! I start to get back up and the summitt guy has caught and passed me and the orrville guy is next....so much for my nice gap I had built up and now I'm looking at a 100 & 50 meter gap. Damn. My bell has been rung and I adjust my helmet and want to get back on these guys again. Needless to say I can't make up the gap and finally the pain and suffering is over. The Summitt & Orrville guys I was with did a great job and I'm glad I pulled it together enough to ride with them.
Thanks for reading,
Rick
2 comments:
I attacked at the same spot and the ruts had my chain slapping my wheels bouncing and I too went a bit off course. Hope your not to sore today.
thanks, ray. yep...a little sore but nbd. It seems I get sloppy at some point on the bell lap for the last couple of races. Not thinking enough or too much thinking?
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