Friday.. leave work early to help build a cross course.
Saturday.. Get to park early, make sure all is good, sit in sun for hours before race.
Saturday night.. PICX after party
Sunday.. Race Bubba.
So Saturday kinda went how I expected. All day long I was excited to race because the course was so much fun to ride. Only problem was, I felt like shit. My legs almost felt shaky from all the walking around I had done in the past 12 hours at the park.
Alton 4
When the race started I actually got off to a good start leading Nagy and Strothman for a little over a lap. I knew it wasn't going to last because those guys kill me every time. I figured I would just go hard for a couple laps, hold the lead and get some home town love. Well.. it only lasted for a little over one lap. After Jay and Mark came around me I could tell that my HR was definitely in the red.
It was that uncomfortable feeling you get when your heart is in your throat and you can feel the beat in your eye balls.... yeah, that kind of uncomfortable. I pushed through it the best I could but on lap 3 or 4 I had to stop on the side of a hill and feed some baby birds that looked hungry. Luckily I had some water to wash the taste out of my mouth. After I calmed down I hopped back on my bike and finished that shit. Wasn't fast, was in last... but I finished. My team mate Jason finished 3rd not too far behind Jay. Nagy took a dominating win. I came in 5th behind Gary Dyer.
Made 5 bucks at least
Bubba 6
Got to the race feeling the effects of the after party from the night before. Took a couple warm up laps and spun around in the parking lot for about an hour before the race. I felt good actually... better than the day before. Maybe I could pull off a decent result, maybe.
There were several people missing from the race that are usually there, and usually finish in front of me. However, this was a horse power course, I was dehydrated, and it was friggin hot out. Close to 80. I had no idea what to expect.
I started the race slow. I didn't want to blow up like the day before. The first couple laps were good for me. No cramping or breathing problems and my HR felt like it was in the right spot. About the 4th lap my throat was feeling much dryer than normal. I drank as much as I could every chance I got. My water was half gone with 5 or 6 laps to go.
The first few laps I was in a small group. Then, for most of the middle part of the race I was all alone. At about 4 laps to go Matt Laberta from Dogfish caught up to me and attacked the shit out of me for an entire lap. It hurt like hell but I held his wheel. He was stronger that I was down the straight aways and would gap me a little but, I seemed to be able to catch back up in the twisty corners.
At one lap to go Matt had about a 6 or 7 second gap on my. I went as hard as I could to get back up to him. I knew if I could get the gap down to around 3 seconds before the last section of the course where most the corners were, I might be able to get around him before the finish. I got to with in striking distance but I couldn't get around where I had hoped too. He led me all the way to the last corner which was a off cambered right hand turn, from there it was about a 40 yard uphill sprint to the finish.
As we came through that corner I was able to carry a little more speed and barely snuck by him in a sprint finish. It was a awesome way to finish the weekend. I ended the day with a 13th place finish. I was happy with 13th, but also frustrated that all the guys I would battle with last year all seem to have found a few extra gears somewhere.
Hopefully the nice weather this coming week will have me on my bike more. I need to kick my own ass a little more, its pretty obvious im not doing what I need to. I want to find those gears.
Mike D's Photos
holl-R
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