We get out of the car in Winfield and walk to registration to see how late I could register since the rain was iffy….and I was flippin FREAZING!! It was 2:15 and the race was at 3:30. So I told Jerel, there are two options here:
1) sit in the car until the absolute latest possible, race, and STILL not have warm clothes for the rest of the day seeing as we usually stay because we have quite a few buddies that are 1’s
2) Haul a** home get arm warmers and a jacket and haul it back again and reg and kit up
We opted for #2, got back to the course with 40 min to spare, my adrenaline is up a little bit now.
On to the race, Greg and I were sitting by ourselves about 4 houses back from the start line and we said to each other “Dude, I don’t think they’re getting a free lap!!!” So we were at the back….alllll the way at the back.
I wasn’t worried about Greg because I know he can move back and forth in the pack at will. Myself, on the other hand was a little worried, I wanted to at least be on the tail end of the split….and I was….the second tail end!! That was on the second or third lap, I dunno…I looked behind me at the top of the hill when we made the left and it looked like a bunch of Lego’s thrown down the stairs, so I knew I wasn’t last….whew! Ok, focus on the dudes on front of you!
So, I said to myself, ok, chill back here and recover…I was redlined! By the way, this was lap 3. Maybe I’ll just coast down and drop the HR, uh huh, HR isn’t dropping because I’m constantly hitting the brakes, and off…FULL ON GAS…woow…off (more brakes)! I could have coasted by 3 or 4 guys but they would have been clipped in the apex of the next turn, I won’t do that unless you have p00ped on me prior. All it takes is ONE to hit the brakes and fear SCREAMS backwards like a wave. We go through the 2nd downhill turn at 27mph feathering the brakes…with more effort spent on trying to prevent someone else from going down as a result me nailing them from behind because they’re braking! I’m thinking this blows and I know the guys up front aren’t dealing with this…but I can’t get there. And in the back of my mind I’m thinking, I’m not climbing well right now so don’t move up because I know I’ll drop anchor on the climb this time around. And I did, I’m hurtin. I look down and see we are 12 min into the race. SOB! I’m housed!
Next modes, drive on, ride, don’t let up inside yourself and do everything that you have learned to do well over the years.
I’m by myself now, just like those guys you see with all the cars weaving around them going up the mountain in the Le Tour, I’m now I’m one of those Lego pieces on the carpet. Not slowing my roll though! I dig, refuse that smaller front ring (I’ll break my chain right now crosschaining before I switch up front!!)
I’m climbing almost to the fake 30 yard flat on the climb, I hear the pace car!!! WERD!! If roll my pace right he’ll get me at the top….he did! I reintegrated….brake fest again going down on the back…I had already had so much fun by myself at 31 mph through the turns (same flagman almost hit me twice because I was using the full benefit of the road!) that I knew I wasn’t going to help Greg and Matt, I wanted to hang with they’re group because even though I was a lap down, if I re-integrated I could help them without penalty, just not the sprint.
I got dropped. Ok, I go into roll it out mode. At this point you have no idea where you are in the field so just go! Guys were going backwards and forwards on every climb!!!
I finished the race thinking I was dead last, even though I was drilling it… (for me)! I felt better in this race than any yet.
On a side note, Mitch and I were at his car talking after the race and an cool ABD guy, whom I had met earlier in the day, came up and told Mitch he was trying to work with me on a climb and I left him and rode off….I needed that! Never knew he was there, sorry.
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