Post Race

Post race.

So what to say. The results say enough. It sucked. Correction. The course was great. I sucked. There’s a huge list of reasons in hind sight. Bike change. Anxiety leading up to the race. Lack of proper race prep. Sleep deprivation following last weekends race. Stress of hosting an athlete and being a mechanic/support crew.

All very worthy and not regrettable. I knew that my running legs had left last weekend. They checked out. And yesterday kaboom… I managed some passing carrying my bike over the heads of others on run ups. It just hurt. Hurt a lot. But the pressure is now off. I can race tomorrow without pressure.

I didn’t make my very meager goal of not getting lapped. I got lapped on Glass hill, just before the finishing straight. I’m taking my line and I head “INSIDE ASSHOLE” and some big dude comes screaming past flying up the hill, he went around. And was gone… checked out…. It didn’t really hit me that it was Feldman until I saw him raising his arms at the finish. Nothing I could do. Rob Bauer came around me before the long road section and I couldn’t hang on his wheel… I was dangling a dozen meters or so behind him hitting that stupid run up and there was more distance. And I watched as Rob squeaked past and managed not to get lapped. I was pissed. But in many ways thankful. I raced a mere 40 minutes or so, Rob had to keep going for another 10 and finished somewhere about 50 minutes. The new stem and bar had me feeling too stretched out. And that kinda sucked. Not to mention it was the first ride on the remodeled bike. But at least I wasn’t constantly wondering when the bar would break. Joel and Richard seemed to have a freaking speaker in my ear – I couldn’t block them out. That and my “support” thought it would be better not to tell me I was in danger of getting lapped. Damn I wish I had known. Not that I might not have been lapped but I don’t know if I could have dug enough. My legs just were dead. Felt good in the warm up. Weather was fine, although a bit warm honestly. My race prep. I just didn’t get it figured out. This tall twig screwed up. But pressure is off and I can try stating from the very back of a second race.

Yeah. From what my wife said I was in 5th at the first few turns, 5th from the back. In a rather large field. Not one chance in hell of pulling anything out of my ass. Granted I did finish in front of 25 others who were scored, and who knows how many that didn’t finish the race. 115 out of 136. Pretty shitty. Not totally worked up about it, kinda mad at myself. But then I couldn’t really expect to survive, in that caliber of a field.

But Erin was very excited and proud of me. She reminded me that last year as a spectator I had said “I’m going to race here next year.” And I did. I raced at Cyclocross nationals. I finished the race. One more race and the season is over and I can start evaluating what I can do to make next year better. Not that cyclocross nationals is an option, being in Kansas city. Not for me at least. But I can set other goals. Make other plans. Maybe the organizers will be able to get Providence as a permanent venue. There was lots of talk when setting up the course about getting a world cup venue there.

Oh and that day I took off to set up the course. Well those fancy jackets the “volunteers” got? Well seems that ‘us’ less worthy folks who spent a whole day of heavy labor rank below those so sat at a desk at registration or stood in a crossing for a few hours, watching the race. Oh well. They were a funky color. Kinda clash with my orange suit.

Hung out at media night with Christine. Sat at the table with JP. Gotta say as cool as it would be to see one of the towers win, if Jonathan wins, that’s be freaking cool. His daughter looks just like him. Yeah, me a big softie for fellow dads. Speaking of, a big congrats to Suds. He’s now joined the ranks of dads with daughters. But I think his path with the three older boys will take a bit of an edge of the whole raising a girl thing. Thinkin of Yogurt boy. Felt bad for his mechanical. That sucked for him. But he came out. He gave it a shot. And tried his best.

I’m sitting outside this morning, writing at the coffee shop across the street from Ballet. K and I will head down to the course, check in with Meesha to see if there is any resolution to the early volunteers “stuff” or lack of. Yeah. I’m sitting here outside typing. Its 45 or so. I’m no more of a man than anyone else because I can take the cold. Its not a way to say I’m better, its just a fact. Be it what it may.

Media night. Free Harpoon beer. Not good. Or really good. Saw Gully, met a ton of people, talked to Wade for a while, hopefully I didn’t make a complete fool of myself, I was pretty loaded by then. After my second or third beer, Dawn asked if I was going to be okay to drive. Hah. I had a driver. And I didn’t hold back. 5 pints. I was a bit hung over this morning but not too bad. Just a bit of that dehydration feeling. The interviews were curious. No one was listening. I thought people might get quiet when the guys were being interviewed, but the ‘crowd’ was just as loud as they were for the women. Compton and Mo were no shows. But the towers were there. Met Barry, and well I was taller than them sunsofbitches, in my boots at least. The Trebonator asked if I was gonna be wearing my orange suit… Damn freaking straight I will.

I’m scattered but feeling rather like trying to write. Although. I dunno. Those who may have read this a bit ago, will remember my thing about “You looked good” as something to say after a race. “I looked good?” From the pits maybe, not from the run ups, ask Hula Girl over at thebikegame.com how I looked on the fucking stupid stairs… would have been much better to ride that shit. w/o the stairs. That and my right foot is bruised from the concrete stairs…

Big thanks to Cronoman, Timmieeeee, and Greybeard for the shouts during the race and for the Belgian beer after the race. I had a good buzz that helped with the freaking wreck of a race.

Time to stop ‘crtl + s’