CCCX4 - Manzanita Park or how not training sometimes helps recovery!
CCCX#4- Manzanita Park, Prunedale
11/11/2007
CAT A MEN
Score 31/36
After not riding much all week I was a bit worried about the race. I
was also worried cause I didn't have time all week to fix my broken
shifter. I thought saturday would be enough time to swap out the
shimano groupo for the sram groupo. Alas, I didn't have all the parts
nor the motivation. So I called up Geoff and said " hey buddy old pal,
old friend for life. Can I borrow your bike tomorrow ;-)" Although I
was a bit mentally and physically unprepared I still had a good race
minus a mechanical.
After Geoff's race he noticed that his saddle has slipped a bit. I
yanked on the saddle a bit and it seemed fine....alas it was not.
Unforunately I wouldn't find this out until about 3 laps to go. So im
JRD(just riding along) and just as I make my way down the u-turn bumpy
descent I heard a crack and suddenly feel saddle slide....oh crap. I
knew exactly what happened. Just as I was getting to the descending
sections the saddle decided to stand straight up, ready to sodomize me
should I make a wrong move. At any other time this might have even
been erotic, but not during a race ;-)
Anywho, I start losing spots. Up to that point, Grant and I had been
battling it out, swapping place. We were gaining ground on Lander and
Jay, who both got a call up. Bummer, Grant was making me push myself
to my very limits. I haven't breathed so hard all year. In anycase,
the remounts sucked cause I couldn't jump back on the bike due to the
lack of saddle. After the double barriers I near\start finish, I'm
cursing as I carefully remount. Then as I make the u-turn to come back
down the bumpy dirty section, clank, clank, and there goes Geoff's
saddle. Fortunately I'd already yelled out that I need a bike change
as I came up the run-up. Dave was waiting at the dirt\pavement
junction with his steed. Dave you rock. Team you all rock...the words
of encouragement, the feeds...it's awesome to have team support during
the race. Thank you!
I grab Dave's Campy powered steed and hammer in hopes of catching back
on to Grant. But there's no way. With the time lost on the bike due to
the saddle and the change I lost at least 40seconds. I decide to just
give it all I got till the end. With two to go I hear somebody coming
up on me after the double barriers, so I spin up to not let them pass.
Turns out it O'dell(or whoever the leader was) and somebody yells out
" Yea, way to outsprint the leader." Any how, being mentally
incapacitated due to lack of oxygen I decide to take a feed on the
paved section instead of sprinting to stay ahead of the leader, so as
not to get lapped...duuuh! In anycase, I come thru after the leader,
Rod says " your done." But I was so pissed at myself for not staying
ahead of the leader that I forced myself to do one more lap at race
pace. The cool thing is that nobody else came by me...which means
although I got lapped at the end the second place guys was way back!
And had I not had a mechanical I wouldn't have gotten lapped...which
was my orignal goal!
11/11/2007
CAT A MEN
Score 31/36
After not riding much all week I was a bit worried about the race. I
was also worried cause I didn't have time all week to fix my broken
shifter. I thought saturday would be enough time to swap out the
shimano groupo for the sram groupo. Alas, I didn't have all the parts
nor the motivation. So I called up Geoff and said " hey buddy old pal,
old friend for life. Can I borrow your bike tomorrow ;-)" Although I
was a bit mentally and physically unprepared I still had a good race
minus a mechanical.
After Geoff's race he noticed that his saddle has slipped a bit. I
yanked on the saddle a bit and it seemed fine....alas it was not.
Unforunately I wouldn't find this out until about 3 laps to go. So im
JRD(just riding along) and just as I make my way down the u-turn bumpy
descent I heard a crack and suddenly feel saddle slide....oh crap. I
knew exactly what happened. Just as I was getting to the descending
sections the saddle decided to stand straight up, ready to sodomize me
should I make a wrong move. At any other time this might have even
been erotic, but not during a race ;-)
Anywho, I start losing spots. Up to that point, Grant and I had been
battling it out, swapping place. We were gaining ground on Lander and
Jay, who both got a call up. Bummer, Grant was making me push myself
to my very limits. I haven't breathed so hard all year. In anycase,
the remounts sucked cause I couldn't jump back on the bike due to the
lack of saddle. After the double barriers I near\start finish, I'm
cursing as I carefully remount. Then as I make the u-turn to come back
down the bumpy dirty section, clank, clank, and there goes Geoff's
saddle. Fortunately I'd already yelled out that I need a bike change
as I came up the run-up. Dave was waiting at the dirt\pavement
junction with his steed. Dave you rock. Team you all rock...the words
of encouragement, the feeds...it's awesome to have team support during
the race. Thank you!
I grab Dave's Campy powered steed and hammer in hopes of catching back
on to Grant. But there's no way. With the time lost on the bike due to
the saddle and the change I lost at least 40seconds. I decide to just
give it all I got till the end. With two to go I hear somebody coming
up on me after the double barriers, so I spin up to not let them pass.
Turns out it O'dell(or whoever the leader was) and somebody yells out
" Yea, way to outsprint the leader." Any how, being mentally
incapacitated due to lack of oxygen I decide to take a feed on the
paved section instead of sprinting to stay ahead of the leader, so as
not to get lapped...duuuh! In anycase, I come thru after the leader,
Rod says " your done." But I was so pissed at myself for not staying
ahead of the leader that I forced myself to do one more lap at race
pace. The cool thing is that nobody else came by me...which means
although I got lapped at the end the second place guys was way back!
And had I not had a mechanical I wouldn't have gotten lapped...which
was my orignal goal!
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