Winter Shart Track Series: Race Dos

I'm guessing my ability to recount the blow-by-blow of the first Winter Shart Tarck Race had little to do with my photographic memory and a lot to do with my lack of effort.  My theory is based on the fact that I went closer to "all in" this past Sunday, and I don't remember much at all.  Hard to focus on details when I have drool hanging off my chin for more than half the race.

Wake up late (I love 1:00PM start times), eat, kick my legs up and drink coffee... roll over to the park around 10:30AM.  Check out the course conditions, spectate a bit, go warm up as best I can.

I'd found out that the guy who went into the woods in second last week was indeed blocking for his teammate (who won).  I'm not sure if they're going to do it again, but I plan on not letting it happen this time.  I doubt Mobley needs any help beating all our dicks off anyways.

"GO."

No luck.

I go in behind those two, along with Cardoza (last week's 3rd place) and a new guy on a 26" wheel white Tomac.  I'm already in 5th.  Meh.

From there...

I figure out where my new, taller 32X16 gear and smaller tires can shine.  A couple spots in the woods are divine, and I can definitely get it on the gravel way better than last week.  Still, I can remember being in all the places between 2nd and 7th.  Felt a bit like real "bike cycle racing."

Eventually last week's 2nd place gets by me.  He's a true diesel, and I expected this to happen.  I can't say it made me happy, I just wasn't surprised.  Eventually, Dwayne is the only one between me and Mobley who's sitting in first.  A trip to the podium would be nice, although BC is hot on my wheel.

Finishing our fifth lap with three to go, I decide it's now or never.  I gas it and pass Dwayne.  I figure that I either have fifteen minutes of hard effort in me or I don't.

I did... although I was looking over my shoulder the whole way to the finish.

That felt good.  I didn't know if I could put myself in that place or not.  Not second place, the contorted pain face place.  The previous week's lap times showed that I backed off in the middle of the race, so I told myself that I needed to hurt a lot more whenever possible.

So... three weeks to go and now no real idea how this will turn out when it's all said and done.

BTW: We faked that podium as quickly as we could after the finish.  Those guys wanted to go home, and I wanted to get back in the woods where the beer and good times that make shart tarck all the buenos.