Every Year.....

10th year for the Snowball Crit - with a small team promoting a race is always a pain but being one of the first, if not the first, races of the years is even more challenging. Just getting the whole permitting process going early season (USAC, City of Va Beach, etc) and all the new riders (read that as tons of emails and phone calls asking pretty basic racing questions). Every year I say this is the last year and every year my wife laughs at me....

So this year things really started looking like a complete train wreck. Forecast calling for cold, wind, rain or possibly even snow. AND Bikereg goes off line early Saturday morning. We'd closed out registration at 9:00 the previous night and my plan had been to download all the rider information following the girls basketball game I coached Saturday morning (yes... I coach a GIRLS basketball team and NO, I'm not as hard on them as you'd think - although after raising 3 boys my daughter is finally the basketball player I never had but that's another post...). So Saturday around 2 I go to get the information off Bikereg and wham, site is down. Several phone calls and emails and I get nothing. Oh, and one of the fairly expensive statues / trophies we'd ordered for the C race was crushed in shipping and I hadn't bothered to open the box until Saturday afternoon.

Well the point of this post is that riders were amazingly understanding - waiting in the cold rain to register and racing in those conditions. We had more people say "thanks" than I've ever recalled during a 75 degree spring race day. I suppose it could be because we all looked so cold and miserable running the race.Either way, I guess Snowball 2010 is on, although I'm considering a new name. The whole "Snowball" thing just seems to jinx us....

Thanks to everyone who showed up....

nc state road race and crit

I went down to North Carolina last weekend for the Wolfpack Cycling Classic weekend. This was my first race last year, so maybe it’s becoming a tradition. It hurt much more this year. The race was fifty-four miles of flat with some rolling terrain with two kicker hills, briefly put. Everything started out casual with conversation with familiar folks the first part of the race. A few attacks went off, and I covered a few that were probably going nowhere anyhow. It seemed like wasted energy in reflection. A few danglers were out from nearing the end, and the pack quickly approached them before the end of the sprint finish. I ended tenth in the sprint.

The crit the next day was quicker than I was hoping for, but it seemed it like a good idea on the start line when the official told us they were shortening the race by a few minutes. I had a great starting spot, and went with an attack early only to pull the group back. I had trouble getting off the front at that point, which made the recovery seem harder. I was a bit more cautious in the cornering than I would have preferred to have been, but with the way last year ended I was a little gun shy. Once again, there was a dangler out front nearing the last lap, and we were slowly catching him. A recognizably strong guy went to the front. He appeared to be pulling us back when in fact he was slowing us down, but this was on comprehendible after the fact. At any rate, I came in tenth again in the sprint. Sort of frustrating, but it’s only February after all, right?

-david

KJ Lap Down....

Keith emailed from Florida to let us know he's starting a lap down (see Tan line comments from previous post) and still will kick everyone's ass next weekend (ok, I added that for effect)..... meanwhile I'm taking kids to a weekend after hour medical clinic for strep.... and the garage is 55 degrees this morning....

Quote of the Week: "No Blood's Leaking Through...."

Jeff and I headed out today - decided to just go as far as we felt up to; no predetermined distance. I'd been sick the last few days but nothing compared to Jeff - he had his appendix removed Tues evening. Doctor told him to take it easy for 2 to 3 weeks....yeah, right. We'd both just ridden the trainer yesterday so with the prospect of another unseasonably warm day we were both determined to get out regardless of how bad either of us felt. When we stopped at Blue Pete's to take off a layer I asked Jeff if he was doing ok.... he pulled up his jersey revealing 3 fairly large bandages (I later learned the 3 incisions were for the tube that pumped air in the cavity around his appendix; the camera and the scalpel). He looked for a few seconds and said "there's no blood leaking through the bandages, I should be alright" although he obviously was alittle uncomfortable. So we continued on for 80 miles.... 4 days after he had surgery. I tried not to complain too much about my cold.

There were a lot riders out; we passed Gene R and his litter on their way back, a Tripower group, Sean Neely by himself, Rick Young and another JRVS rider and a bunch of others in groups of 5 or less who we didn't recognize. Have to remind myself there are still plenty cold days to come - it's only early Feb.

friday

Friday was a free day. I determined early in the week I would ride four hours, because the forecast was looking promising. Plus, what better way to end a week. I headed indirectly to Buena Vista figuring it would be a kicker route, and it would better assure me of my fitness inching up to the beginning of race season.

Cycling is more of lifestyle than people realize. I’ve found it’s difficult to truly share with someone what it’s like to ride or race or what it’s like to always have a thought of when the next ride will take place. Non-cyclist don’t get it. When you tell someone you rode your bike for five hours they can’t relate, and then it just turns to an awkward conversation about the weather or the stimulus bill. I find myself choosing to skip things so I can squeeze another ride in before dark, because let’s face it you just can’t do it all.

Thursday night I decided I would make a four-hour play list for the ride, but when I got done with the list it was closer to five hours. I was glad I didn’t skim it down. I was keeping a solid average going out, but I was looking forward to stopping at the store in Buena Vista. I bought my typical, only over three-hour bike ride, Coke. I chugged it, and scurried back up the ascent out of town. My legs never felt right after that, and the highest temperature had already come and gone much to my disappointment. I made a mental note that I would try to be back at the end of 501 in an hour.

I climbed back up the mountain into Amherst County, and descended back down by the James making in back in fifty-five minutes. Moreover, River Road was the next goal, and it could not come quick enough. I was getting coffee at five with a friend, but that was looking dreadfully soon. It was motivation not to just stop and pass out in the grass for a half hour.

Alas, I finally made it back into town climbing the hill by the Tea Room with my computer telling my I was nearing five hours. Rivermont Avenue never looked so sweet. I had buzz from the ride. The kind where you know your body was not pleased with what you did to it, but with suffering comes great things.

david