Winter Shart Tarck 2020.5

I don't exactly know how the top three in the overall are gonna shake out. At the previous four races, Christian, Chase, and Jason have left me far in their dust after just a few laps. Pretty sure Charles has a death grip on fourth overall. Me and Jamie will get to enjoy a "heated" battle for fifth.

I go over to warm up on the long, empty stretch of road behind the park. Over and over in my head, I'm telling myself that I need to hold Jamie's wheel for the first four laps and then dump all reserves into an effort to establish a gap. Then hold it. For four more laps.

That's all. Just beat a guy who's about twenty years younger than me that's bested me three outta the last four races. NBD.

Line up at the start... look around. Another big single speed field, but... no Jamie? I don't see him anywhere. Hooray and also poop.

Hooray because all I have to do is finish and mebbe keep no more than five people between Colin and I. So "try," but sorta. I guess "pride" is a thing.  So also poop.

photo cred: Mills

Start and hammer and into the woods in sixth just behind Nick.  Colin right on my wheel.

Outta the woods and Colin comes ripping by me. I mean ripping.  Chris and Charles (I think?) as well.

Dammit.

"Pride only hurts, it never helps." ~ Marsellus Wallace

So mebbe it's time to hurt a little?

photo cred: Mills

I get around Nick but Colin has already put a silly amount of distance between us. I can't believe how quickly the gap grew.  Not insurmountable, but he's not making it easy on me either.

He holds the gap for two laps, but then I see that he's slowing on the climbs a tick. I almost lose my front wheel in some stupid pea gravel corner and remember that not only do I need to not wreck myself out for the sake of an overall finish, I don't really wanna be a shart tarck statistic. Every year, there's always a few people who sustain decent injuries on this silly little one mile loop. Shitty way to start a "season."

I catch on to Colin with four laps to go. Draft... and then push my chips to the center of the table. I get a gap. It looks sustainable.

See Lee out there with his camera set up in an early corner. I go past him... and I realize he's hoping to get a decent photo of someone(s) mebbe hitting the tiny hip jump outta the berm. Sorry, Lee. It's a little risky to push it too hard, what with the random loose over hard conditions. I try better next lap?

I did, but only slightly better tho.

photo cred: Lee

Yeeting myself into a modest and also failed attempt to do anything but case this tiny jump.

photo cred: Lee

SHOW ME YOUR WAR FACE, COLIN!

Finish up, keeping the gap behind me alive but never able to close down on Charles and Chris. Again. Not that it woulda mattered anyhoo.

Fifth overall for the series, which I'll take.  Five races and four weeks without getting sick, injured, bored, disinterested, or heavily distracted.  That has to be a first.  Only took fifteen years or so.