I did so regardless of the fact that I had decided to press my current luck with my lower back and do trail work that morning...
And then yard work when I got home...
and doubly regardless that I was on day one of restricting my calories to protein, veggies and beer. Supper Saturday night? Four hard boiled eggs, Boatswain Double IPA and popcorn (for the sake of argument, we'll call that a veggie).
So to say I woke up Sunday feeling like a pile of shit would be a bit of an understatement. There was a certain sense of accomplishment that after almost a month of my yard being in a state of disrepair after having the lines replaced all the way to the street, I had finally got it back to looking like a yard (sans grass) that the neighbors no longer despise. Unfortunately, my knees had joined my back in protest. I had Steve Tilforded myself into a sorry place.
Sunday I rode over to the short track, picked up my timing chip, and tooled around. I noticed some fit looking fuckers I had not seen the last two weeks pedaling around on single speeds. Not a good day to leave the A-game at home.
With the increased field size, the start was going to be even more crucial than before. That would explain why it took three complete pedal rotations to get my left foot clipped in... an act I perform perfectly at work countless times a day, five days a week for something like the last eleventy billion years. Whatever. I only lost a little ground and still went into the woods right behind fellow series protagonists Pew Pugh, Chase, TJ Wood and maybe a couple interlopers.
One lap later, things got muddled and my memory of all events is terribly fuzzy.
Zac was right on my wheel. Then he wasn't.
photo cred: Kevin Thompson/Street Ghost
Two lanky looking individuals got by me. One was pretty slow in the woods. I figured I would pull him in later and drop him on the trail. By the end of the race, he won.On the climb outta the woods, I buzzed TJ's rear tire to let him know I was coming. I then passed him on the gravel...
Only to have him buzz my rear tire on the very next lap, come around me, and drop me for good on the next lap. Well played.
photo cred: Kevin Thompson/Street Ghost
A rare moment when I actually had TJ behind me... never far enough though. Nick "Dip n Spray" got around me. He offered to take a pull which I was too weak to accept. Now I had to worry about points (every rider between TJ and I was gonna cost me and cut into my four point lead on him in the series).
photo cred: Kevin Thompson/Street Ghost
I tried to have fun regardless of my waning energy levels. I failed. I was dying a slow death out there.
photo cred: Kurt
As much as I said the old jump now sucks and has little to offer in the way of getting the bike off the ground, Colin and Paul proved me oh-so wrong.
photo cred: Kurt
Colin recreating the valet/borrowed car scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
photo cred: Kurt
Very wrong.
Anyways, as far as the race goes, I was in trouble on lap one and just doing my best to keep an eye on Pew Pugh and TJ. With one lap to go, I still had TJ in my sights, so I decided it would be half-assed of me to not try and catch him. I hung it out in the woods and by the bottom of the climb out, I was right up the asses of two lapped masters racers... and I didn't get around them till the top.
photo cred: Kevin Thompson/Street Ghost
Jammed.
All extraneous efforts were for naught, but I managed to limit my damage to only one point.
The standings ended up being:
1: Interloper
2: Chase
3: Interloper
4: Interloper (Bruce Stauffer)
5: Dip N Spray
6: TJ
7: Shitty Dicky
The good news being that I didn't have to stick around for a podium. I could just go back into the woods and drown my sorrows while being all spectatory.
Two races to go. I gotta do something different next week. Yes, I've committed (begrudgingly) to the whole series now... just when things are looking sooooo good.
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2 comments:
I was hoping my photos would make today's news.
KT
Shoulda grabbed a donut.
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