Blind Date at the Dairy #2

The problem with racing on workdays? The last two hours at my desk are a lesson in stomach-knots, anxiety touched with nausea, and clock-watching.

Is it time? No, it's not time. ... Oh no, it's getting closer to time. ... Let's go! ... Wait, who signed up for this? Bad plan! ... I can't wait! ... I'll be under the couch, hiding. Bah. ... Will I be That Guy at the back of the pack? Will I fall down and break something? ... Is it time?

So, I bounced out of bed on Wednesday and was billably productive at 8am. Translation: leaving the office early is okay. So at 430, I struck out on my own to the Velodrome.

Route from work to the Velodrome (googlemaps)

Notes: Riding nearly over Council Crest is a fantastic warm-up.  / Crowded windy streets with speeding luxury vehicles make me mad.  / Chesapeake is the seventh wonder of the West Hills. / Encountering girls in your category who are driving to ride is fulfilling.

Alpenrose was less crowded than the zoo of Sunday, but felt far more serious. Proportionally more matching spandex, expensive bikes; you know, the fit people in stretchy pants with shiny things who look like Serious Racers.

Ben rode over with a smooch and a grin; helped me pin my number on and generally get ready to go. The pre-ride proved to have tricky spots - lots of tight turns, some wheel-grabbing deep gravel, a run-up and descent (the opposite but same of Sunday), off-camber hills, and more tight turns.

But J. told me it was all about the holeshot - that once you got not-in-the-back, the race was done. Okay, so - get out in front. As we lined up, I staked out the start line...

B's women, GO...

                                     (tick tick tick)

Beginner men, GO...

                                                                        (tick tick tick)

Beginner women, GO!

And out and around the corner, spinning like mad - 5th one to make the first turn. Okay, now, just hold it... around the corner over the bumpy stuff through the gravel (position slipping) over the dirt bump turn turn bump bump bump (position slipping) up the hill down the hill up the hill turn turn turn ...

... by the end of the first lap, I'd fallen from 5th to not-quite-top-10. With no shifting options, there's no way to sprint to make up time on the flat pavement pieces - it was all about out-maneuvering and making every. single. transition. fast.  One set of barriers (two planks). That crowded hill. All those turns.

Push push push, through the bumps and twists and ups and downs and GO GO GO. Dooley used to say that the key to racing is knowing when "go time" is. Cross: Go time is all the time, perhaps.

Rob's standing at the finish line, giving me rough placing and telling me to pick it up, keep it up... I'm doing what I can to hold my position, or at least not fall too far back. Don't get caught in crashes. Don't get eaten by the gravel monsters. Don't get knocked over by some noncommunicative speedypants.

Making a tight turn at one point, I came into a corner too fast and whacked my inside pedal on the pavement while pedaling. THWACK! My wheel skidded a good distance to the left but I didn't go down. (Phew.) Heart rate extra-up, check.

I don't remember things in sequence, really. A Veloforma rider shot past me on the first dirt section; I managed to catch her and keep her behind me by the finish line. I dismounted mostly-okay, but also-wrong sometimes; I need to be able to do this faster (practice practice). I kept pushing, couldn't wait for the bell, up down up down down bump ow climb gravel turn turn go... Was not setting any speed records - but wasn't getting blown past. Last lap in the Velodrome - girl too far in front to catch, girl behind is how far back? push push push push... climb turn barriers go go go...

You're done! Rob says as I cross the finish to the waving checkered flag. No idea how I did. Tired as hell. Good race, he says. Ben finishes a bit later - had to do 5 laps to my 4. 

We chatted with Rob and some other bikey folks, ate foods, drank all the liquid we could find, and watched the next race start, finish. Watched the singlespeed/men's B's start at 7pm, cheered on Joel and Chris.

Feeling tired and done, we rode home, slowly crawling up and down the hills, through downtown, over the river. Decided to try Migration Brewing for the evening refuel - good beer + food, friendly staff, and a gorgeous Sprout bike hanging on the wall! Win.

Results are up today - Ben came in 21st of 50 starters; me 15th of 41 starters. Not so bad, really. I fear the dark of next week (it was pretty black at 7pm) but will likely give it a shot anyway.

Evidence from Wednesday: me1, me2, me3, Ben1, Ben2

Off to Idaho this weekend, so no Crusade for me - good luck to Rob and Ed as they fight the good fight!  Given standings from this coming weekend, expect a Team Slow season update. For a bunch of non-racey bikey types, we're doing pretty okay... stay tuned.