I'm Finally Updating this Thing

Its been a long time since I have taken the time to update this thing. Its was a busy year...We spent most of the Spring looking for a house... the move in May... going back to work in the office... and still getting time on the bike. To look back now, I wonder how we managed without going crazy. This entry will be sort of a review of my racing season in the form of my "awards". Overall, I will say I am just slightly disappointed overall. I would like to have preformed a little better in some of my favorite races. I guess I had a decent season considering I'm a 47 year old Cat 3 wannabe racer with somewhat limited ability. I can usually hold my own in most Masters and Cat 3 races but sometimes its a real struggle.


The "This is Such a Blast" award: Springfield Criterium, Summer Solstice Stage Race and the Troy Criterium

• The Sringfield is a wide open, fast and flat, four corner race course that lets you fly around at 30 mph. 70 Cat 3 all wanting a piece of the $2500 purse make it fast and fun. I took a flyer with one lap to go but got caught just before the last turn. I only managed to hang on for 12th but it was fun.

• Solstice hurt a lot but was fun because teammate Dan took the leaders jersey on stage two. The rest of the team got to ride the rest of the race pretending to defend Dan's jersey. Truth is, Dan is such a stud on the bike, he didn't really need our help. But it was fun.

• At Troy, they were giving separate prizes in the Masters to 35-44, 45-54 and 55+. The officials decided to start the groups at 20 second intervals. I went to the front at the start and hammered for the first lap to catch the 35 guys. I got us real close and let Dan from Dayton finish off the catch. A lot of fun ripping around the course chasing and catching the "young" guys.

The "Explain to Me Again Why I Do This" award: Lots of choices for this one. A couple of races standout...Garrett Wonders Memorial Criterium and the Granville Criterium

• The Wonders race was a week after the Solstice stage race. I knew I would be either really good or really bad. I was really bad. The course was only a 30 minute ride from home down the bike path. Sounded like the ideal warm up. I knew I was probably in trouble when I stopped twice, on the ride down to the course, to make sure my brakes weren't rubbing...unfortunately they weren't. My race sucked from the beginning. I felt terrible the whole time. I decided to try to get something out of it and went for the first prime and just lost it by half a wheel. I then get caught up in a crash where I got rammed from behind in the thigh by some one's bars. I finally just sat up on the last lap to make sure I stayed out of the way of the real racers.

• Granville was a seven turn course with a 180 and a short climb up a narrow brick alley. The key was to be at the front when the race started. Of course, I get to the start line late and have to line up in the third or fourth row....at least 40 guys in front of me. I fight my way through on the very first lap to a top five position. I get caught up behind a crash, take a free lap and get dropped from what was left of the field with 10 laps to go. I was lucky to hang on for that long.

The "Reality Check" award: The Saturday Granview Criterium...hands down. The race was listed as a Cat 1-2-3 race on a flat four corner course. How hard can it be to just sit in while the fast guys pull the rest of us around for an hour and a half?...Apparently pretty hard. The AF and Texas Roadhouse teams were fighting it out at the front, flying through the start/finish at 35+ mph. I stayed with the field for 5 full laps before I was finally was spit out the back like stale gum. Five laps later I was pulled from the race.

The "This is Really Gonna Hurt" award: I didn't have any "bad" crashes this year. I did have a couple of falls but nothing too serious. This award goes to the crash that didn't happen. At the Granville Crit, on the first lap, I had made my way to near the front of the 50 rider field. I was following a rider through one of the turns when he hit the brakes hard. I locked up my rear wheel and slide through the turn sideways. I have no idea how I kept it up but I remember thinking, "this is really gonna hurt".

The "Oh Shit" Award: My trashed Ritchey carbon wheel. As we crossed the finish line at the Marysville Criterium, the rider behind catches his front wheel in my real derailleur and rips it off the bike. Luckily, the hanger broke, just like it suppose to do. Unfortunately, the detached derailleur found it way into the carbon wheel, ripping spokes and braking the wheel.