Well, I was shooting for 40 rides from nats to suckerbrook. I over shot and did 46. Obviously, a mistake, as I was peaking two weeks ago when I was doing the MTB race tune-ups at Catamount. Since then its been the death spiral. Next year I am sticking to the plan, damnit.
Suckerbrook is always a blast, its like homecoming for bikes. I brought my 7 year old, Noah, and his clunker bike. He rides alot, but only in short stints due to our property being so hilly. I can see it hurts his endurance, as he was suffering out there by the time I got to the start of his race, after suffering out there myself. Reports are he prerode himself into the ground. It was hot, too, and us Chabots don’t do well in the heat. That kid turns red light a tomato as soon as its gets over 60. At school, they keep sending him inside thinking he is gonna have heat stroke. He just turns red, what can I say. I turn white.
He did well, though, think he got 5th. Some kid on the Redline 24″ cross bike that he has been BUGGING the HELL out of me for (for the last 2 years) won. Hardly fair. My kids bike weighs about 40 pounds, it almost defies logic. I keep telling him he is not big enough for a 24″ bike yet. Getting close though. I better start scouring ebay and craigs list.
On to my races. Well, I did not get to warm up the way I was at the end of the year. Too much socializing. That hurt me for sure. I also just did not have it. I have not done the oh so important tune up races at Catamount due to my allergies. I am just now starting to feel ok in that regard, as opposed to having flu like symptoms. Brutal.
I knew I had bad legs right away, just riding warm up laps. I have been really sore all week, and just trying to spin around to get back into riding. Stupid ragweed. I am buying some agent orange and an airplane. Word. I bet George Bush has a fleet of them at the ranch in Crawford. Cancer…bah…more liberal bullshit I say!
I lined up second row. Gewilli felt obliged to start front row. Whatever dude. Off we go and I make a point of riding slowly, as opposed to my usual rocket start. Yah, I was worried before I even started. Ended up being on the front of a group with a 15 second gap up to the next group with teammate Burke in it. Gewilli was back there with me I think.
Second lap and they all jump off me in the grass section after the stairs and go roaring by. The red and white team guys again, nor’east? I dunno. They got right up to Burke’s group. I observed that for the next 5 laps and then it was over. Oh, the 45s came past somewhere in there.
I felt like crap till lap 3. Then I dug deep but could not close the gap. I rode alone into the wind on that damn flat grass section the whole race. Sigh. Finished 22nd by inches.
Oh, right! Highlight was the last lap, all the 3′s decided to come on the course while we were still racing (ok, Curtis had probably finished) and they were nice enough to get out of my way and all, but the guy behind me, who was waay back, used them to get up on me. He looked really young, and rode for CCB, so I thought he was warming up. But as he got close, going towards the sandpit, I realized he was racing me.
Damnit! I had been easing up the last lap thinking I was safe, to cool it down for the next race (I was doing the 3′s right after I finished!!). Well, I held him off till the pavement, where he got up on my wheel. I did the look back and kept him on my outside coming into the last corner. I had slowed down to rest and sprint. Came into the last corner slow, and shifted while cornering so I could nail it as soon as my pedals cleared. I did, and sprinted fairly well all the way to the line. He came around me at the line to nip me by at most half a wheel. Maybe I should have coasted thru the corner more to delay the sprint, but I was worried he would go wide and gap me right away. Probably a roadie anyway, CCB and all. I was probably doomed either way. Sprinting makes it fun, I love that. I do wish the 3s had stayed off the course though.
After sprinting my brains out, I rolled to the car, drank water (lots, it was HOT), and rolled over to line up. Gewilli sacked up and lined up too. Another 45 minutes? Oh yah. Well, we rolled out way too slow, but our heckling was seriously A-Game. We were going at it pretty well in the A masters race, but we were properly warmed up for the 3 race. Poor spongebob took the brunt. And whomever was foolish enough to ride that slow to be in earshot.
My plan was to ride tempo for two laps and then come on strong, using the blowing up 3s as motivation to reel them in. In fact, we went out way to slow, let the tail of the race ride away, and then Gewilli flatted. Fatass.
That was about lap 3. So I tried harder, felt ok, chasing one guy, same guy, the whole time. Then, with 3 to go, I got spongebob back in view in the switch backs on the grass. He spotted me. Dang. I poured it on, caught the guy in front of me (riding for Vanderbuilt, so I assume a college kid) right before the sand. He slowed way down for the sand and I rolled up on him, causing me to have to slow down, causing me to fall off. I ran it and got around him and then used the opportunity to yell at Bob to get in his head. I caught him after sand pit #2. Off I went. Passed the college kid (who was a foot out corner-er, how annoying is it to follow someone who does that?). Then, two to go, blew up. He passed me back. That was that. Finished almost last.
Moral of the story, two races BACK TO BACK is hard. Hour off, not so bad. Back to back, not doing that again.
Today, of course, I feel great. As usual. I really need to race to wake up the legs and all that. I always do better on the second day. I hate to use SB as a warm up race, but what are you gonna do? Them’s the breaks.
Next weekend – Catamount Verge!! NO TRAVEL!!! Woohooo!!! Expect me to be gloating all weekend.
Me 
Freakshow
Freakshow being stupid
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