Walburg/Pace Bend

Another weekend of racing is in the books, and what a wild and rewarding weekend it was. Personal highlights include:

-Excellent wheel change practice after experiencing my first race flat
-First time racing in the rain (a little moisture to refresh the legs)
-Learning to ride at a constant ~30 degree angle due to difficult cross winds
-Finally nailing down a feeding system that works
-ATTACK!
-Receiving a highly illegal and much appreciated "nudge" up the start/finish hill from an adoring fan on the second to last lap
-ATTACK!
-At one point on Sunday, I heard a slight screeching sound and looked to my left just in time to see a rider swallowed up by a very hungry patch of bushes alongside the road.

Saturday was Walburg, a very open and exposed course, notorious for brutal gale-force winds. I got my flat about 10 miles in, just as the rain was tapering off. I put my head down and started to dig hard to chase back on, but I missed a turn, and that was the end of that. The rest of the race was a solo time trial; fortunately, the wind provided me with plenty of rabbits to chase down as it continued to pop riders off the lead group. Two of my teammates, Adam and Griz, got into the lead break and dragged their thankful breakmates around the course before placing very well.

Sunday was Pace Bend, a very rolly 6 mile circuit course w/a stinging uphill finish. I put in several pulls and a short-lived attack. The legs were accelerating and recovering very well on the flats, which was very encouraging, but the previous day's efforts had left me with little power for the hills, and I had to settle for a pack finish. Once again, though, I ended the day with a great feeling of pride as I had two teammates, Tino and Griz (again), place very high. They probably would have taken 1-2 if they had simply stopped waving at the remarkably voluptuous podium girls long enough to put their hands back on their handlebars for the finishing sprint.

Next week is Lago Vista. Next week we podium.

And now a word...

On this, the most romantic of all holidays, I feel I must take a few moments to raise my mead-filled glass in honour of Team Wooly Mammoth's primary sponsor, Castle Hill Specialized Fitness. Many squads in the peleton require several different sponsors to support their operations, and one might assume Wooly Mammoth would be no different (trained European soigneurs and sherpa blood don't come cheap, after all). We are very lucky, however, to have such a great, fully-equipped gym as our benefactor. Above is the owner's new road bike. Rumor has it he once road Paris-Brest-Paris in nothing but riding breeches and a pair of clogs. The wheels say it all...

The wind is my enemy, the wind is my friend...

This last weekend several members of Team Wooly Mammoth traveled to the charming hamlet of Castroville, TX to contest the Alsatian Omnium. For me, it was the first real racing of the season, so the goal was to test out my legs and do anything I could to help my teammates achieve victory.

Long story short, the sensations were good all weekend, but I did way better in the criterium (13th) than the road race (DNF), which is odd because I am not a crit man by any means. Basically in the RR, I let myself get caught out in the wind on a very windy day, and that was all she wrote. Tough cookies, but that's racing. I chased for a lap (~15mi.) with a few other unfortunate souls, but it was mostly just an excuse to put in a hard spin.

Jesse ("The Launcher") was initiating all day, constantly pulling on the front and going off in a 4-man break that stayed away for a lap. He finished in 9th.

In the crit, I put in some strong early efforts and kept near the front to cover any moves so Jesse and Grizz wouldn't have to work. By the end, I didn't think I could go w/the sprint and was about to sit up, but I started passing people on the final little rise so I just kept going and wound up top 15. Now I know, don't sit up.

Grizwoldo was in great position for the sprint but just as he was preparing to unleash a massive acceleration, another racer rammed his front wheel. The Grizzly Bear used his expert handling skills to keep his bike upright and somehow still powered into 5th place.