racing update

Well, I made it through Gloucester and Providence. Thought I'd type an update. The two weekends were quite similar.

Day one Gloucester, a little wet, but plenty o' traction, lots of pedaling. I started somewhere just behind mid-pack. I didn't pass all that many people on the pavement like I had hoped. Everyone was going so damn fast. So I had to pass a bunch in the first bit of turns and just work through as many as I could, one by one for the whole race. I made it up into a group that was at the back end of the top 20. I kept pushing the pace in that group till it was down to just two and was out sprinted on the pavement. That meant I snuck in for 15th and the last UCI C2 points given out.

Day two started with morning rain that changed conditions significantly. I like that, but I didn't like my random draw start for the day. I don't remember what place it was but I was the second to last called to the line. Well, I couldn't see the line way up there, but I was called to the back of the people who were at the line. At least in the 90s. At this point I'm getting a little discouraged and I am sick of having to go so hard off the line. I knew it was going to be mayhem with the mud and all so I just started in my own row behind everyone and rode the pavement there, alone. Craziness ensued in the mud and I skirted around. Worked my way into 23rd by the end.

Day one Providence was dry and fast. Way too much pedaling. I had another mid-pack start draw, but I just suffered with the pedaling. That's bout all I remember. Suffering. I made it to 18th. No C1 points this time.

Day two, like Gloucester, changed significantly. Rain fell pretty much right before the start and made a layer of slime on top of solid earth. Also, like Gloucester I drew a start in the back of a 100 rider field. I think I drew 88, but missed my call. Didn't matter anyway. I'd rather be behind the last row on one side than in the middle of the second to last row. In the situation you have to work over to one side before you can move up much. From behind the back I have a straight shot up the side....usually. But anyway, I just didn't feel like fighting from the back, period. Like last Sunday I started slow and let the crashes happen and just skirt around. I didn't have a whole lot of motivation after that though and kind of just stayed upright, riding at a sub-race pace. I figured I was way back in the 50s-60s, but turned out I was inside the top twenty. Maybe 16th. Not knowing that I let anyone who was fighting go right around me. The end came and I was 24th.