Blog Update: I never did post a race report about the Greenwood Olympic Triathlon. Nor did I post about any of these other things; my first crit, The Greensboro Omnium, The Greenville Cycling Classic, first (and second) cross race, road riding at night with lights, et al. I should probably just give up on the whole blog thing due to a serious lack of motivation to write about crap that no one gives a rip about. Okay, except maybe two or three people at most. And the good stuff will only alienate me from the rest of the active community in and around these parts. Oh well……… EFF IT!
Greenwood Oly: Hot as a cat in a tin boot. Freakin’ hot……..Oy! Let’s just start by me saying that I can’t run for crap…Okay.............Happy now? Skinny and can’t run……How’s that. But I do have all the gear (well, except for the pair of shoes that I left there). So my race plan was simple, have fun in the swim, ride as hard as possible, and try not to blow anything out during the run. I will have to say that I executed my plan perfectly as I was having so much fun that I got passed by some of the fast girls in the swim. Good transition to the bike and it was game on. I would not say that I was ripping it up or anything but not very many passed me and I passed many….On yer left……… ON YER’ LEFT! Freakin’ triathletes cannot get out of their own way. And on to the run, I just tried to keep a nice steady pace and not overheat too much, hit all the aid stations and took one water to drink and one for the head. It did take most of my age group five miles to catch me. Good times was had.
Lexington Crit: Dark, fast, under the lights and dangerous. I was so freakin nervous! I did remember to bring my trainer and then warmed up too long, resulting in me getting to the line late, just in time to get to the back of the pack and Bang! I really did not know how my bike handling skills would be, but I found out they are just fine. We were cat 5 combined with masters racers so it was full on gas the entire time. I found a good wheel to get on and stayed there the entire time except for the one pull that I took. We were just starting to pick up some of the racers that the masters group had chewed up and spat out and then it was over. Holy crap was it a rush, barreling down the back stretch elbow to elbow, in the dark, at 20 plus mph, eyes straining to see, and then into the lights and hard over into the turns. Up the slight uphill front stretch at ten tenths then keeling hard over, clipping the apex and down the chute to the back stretch, tires chattering and skipping over the rough asphalt. Rock on!
Greenville Cycling Classic: Nothing much to say except that I suck. Oh, and I must not know much about team racing because the guy that won the Cat 5 race (my race) was “helped out” by one of his teammates by strategically getting dropped.
Hendersonville Cross Races: Not only do I suck but I also don’t really know what I am doing. Saturday’s race I just wanted to get the feel for the course and use it as an opener for Sunday’s race.
Saturday: The bike worked great, the tires were hooking up, and I found that I could catch and overtake on the technical sections but a lack of fitness prevented any real movement from the back of the pack. I did what I could and went home.
Sunday: I knew that I would have a little more snap and tried to nail the start, only to see most of the pack hammer away from me in a cloud of dust. Some hard lessons from Saturday about “the wall”, and other parts of the course let me carry more speed and conserve energy. I tried to think and strategize about the race, finding a wheel to stay on, on the long pavement stretch. I also stayed in the big ring and hammered away the entire course, attacking all the up’s and letting the bike roll through the rough stuff. The course started to get a little loose on the last lap and I watched crash after crash unfold in front of me. I even slid my wheel a few times but managed to stay upright and not loose much time. Last lap, last climb, the guy I had planned on attacking (my wheel as it were) got caught up in some fred’s and I hammered around him as he had to unclip both feet. Eyes bleeding after an all out attack, I washed out both wheels in the loose stuff and had to dab. But I thought no way would I get caught, I was all out, all in, and I never looked back. I gave it my all, only to get caught by him in the last 100 meters. I told him “Good Show!”
Side Notes:
1. Please……….If you get beat up by my pathetically tragic skinny ass, do NOT say,
”But I have been sick!” I don’t care if it’s true. Take your beating like I do and get on with it.
2. If I rode your wheel all season, I’m sorry, but again……I suck, and I hope to redeem myself next season.
3. If I say “But I have been sick”………..I really have been sick.
Beers All Round!
Cheers!
Greenwood Oly: Hot as a cat in a tin boot. Freakin’ hot……..Oy! Let’s just start by me saying that I can’t run for crap…Okay.............Happy now? Skinny and can’t run……How’s that. But I do have all the gear (well, except for the pair of shoes that I left there). So my race plan was simple, have fun in the swim, ride as hard as possible, and try not to blow anything out during the run. I will have to say that I executed my plan perfectly as I was having so much fun that I got passed by some of the fast girls in the swim. Good transition to the bike and it was game on. I would not say that I was ripping it up or anything but not very many passed me and I passed many….On yer left……… ON YER’ LEFT! Freakin’ triathletes cannot get out of their own way. And on to the run, I just tried to keep a nice steady pace and not overheat too much, hit all the aid stations and took one water to drink and one for the head. It did take most of my age group five miles to catch me. Good times was had.
Lexington Crit: Dark, fast, under the lights and dangerous. I was so freakin nervous! I did remember to bring my trainer and then warmed up too long, resulting in me getting to the line late, just in time to get to the back of the pack and Bang! I really did not know how my bike handling skills would be, but I found out they are just fine. We were cat 5 combined with masters racers so it was full on gas the entire time. I found a good wheel to get on and stayed there the entire time except for the one pull that I took. We were just starting to pick up some of the racers that the masters group had chewed up and spat out and then it was over. Holy crap was it a rush, barreling down the back stretch elbow to elbow, in the dark, at 20 plus mph, eyes straining to see, and then into the lights and hard over into the turns. Up the slight uphill front stretch at ten tenths then keeling hard over, clipping the apex and down the chute to the back stretch, tires chattering and skipping over the rough asphalt. Rock on!
Greenville Cycling Classic: Nothing much to say except that I suck. Oh, and I must not know much about team racing because the guy that won the Cat 5 race (my race) was “helped out” by one of his teammates by strategically getting dropped.
Hendersonville Cross Races: Not only do I suck but I also don’t really know what I am doing. Saturday’s race I just wanted to get the feel for the course and use it as an opener for Sunday’s race.
Saturday: The bike worked great, the tires were hooking up, and I found that I could catch and overtake on the technical sections but a lack of fitness prevented any real movement from the back of the pack. I did what I could and went home.
Sunday: I knew that I would have a little more snap and tried to nail the start, only to see most of the pack hammer away from me in a cloud of dust. Some hard lessons from Saturday about “the wall”, and other parts of the course let me carry more speed and conserve energy. I tried to think and strategize about the race, finding a wheel to stay on, on the long pavement stretch. I also stayed in the big ring and hammered away the entire course, attacking all the up’s and letting the bike roll through the rough stuff. The course started to get a little loose on the last lap and I watched crash after crash unfold in front of me. I even slid my wheel a few times but managed to stay upright and not loose much time. Last lap, last climb, the guy I had planned on attacking (my wheel as it were) got caught up in some fred’s and I hammered around him as he had to unclip both feet. Eyes bleeding after an all out attack, I washed out both wheels in the loose stuff and had to dab. But I thought no way would I get caught, I was all out, all in, and I never looked back. I gave it my all, only to get caught by him in the last 100 meters. I told him “Good Show!”
Side Notes:
1. Please……….If you get beat up by my pathetically tragic skinny ass, do NOT say,
”But I have been sick!” I don’t care if it’s true. Take your beating like I do and get on with it.
2. If I rode your wheel all season, I’m sorry, but again……I suck, and I hope to redeem myself next season.
3. If I say “But I have been sick”………..I really have been sick.
Beers All Round!
Cheers!
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