It all began on Friday with my (and Trav’s) birthday. What does a struggling amateur cyclist do on his birthday you might ask. Well, I worked all day. Racing bikes ain’t free so there’s no rest for the weary. Working wasn't so bad though, thanks to Tashina and baked goods.
Saturday marked the first ever Boone-Roubaix which I had mixed emotions about. On the one hand, I heard the course was fairly tough so I thought it would be a good barometer to see exactly where my form is at. On the other hand, I finally got my new team bike and ended up changing my position quite a bit so I figured I would fade fast later in the race. No excuses, it just is what it is. I am pumped about the position change though. My coach, Zach Lail fit me on the new hhwhip and made some great but drastic changes. So in the long run it will definitely be positive but right now I’m still in the adjustment period.
I stayed true to my last post and rode my ass off. With the extra motivation of the first race on the team bike and wearing a Mountain Khakis f/b Jittery Joe’s kit, I wasn’t going to leave with anything left in the tank. The race started off ok but things quickly went south. I missed a turn chasing back on to the lead group and then got a flat, spent several minutes waiting for the wheel truck, day over, almost. I rode the rest of the race by myself or with small groups of random people, and I rode hard. As I rode by the parking lot after the first big lap I looked at the people who, for one reason or another, had already pulled out. Their faces showed signs of defeat, relief that it was over and I could already hear the excuses. As I rolled into the bottom of the big climb for the second time I said “f” that. I didn’t have the legs to win and I had some bad luck, that’s bike racing. But I kept going, rode my ass off and crossed the line having accomplished something. At the end the day I was done and the tank was empty. I had managed to turn a bad race into a good workout. Sitting on the side of the road isn’t going to put you in that front group fighting for the win.
I traveled to the race with Hekmen and Hamblen so lunch was possibly the highlight of the day. Stories of racing out of pocket, living off of prize money, it was true old school fury by the guys that lived it. I can’t get enough of it. They worked hard to make their way in the sport like I’m trying to do now and to be able to learn from them is an opportunity I don’t want to miss out on. Hopefully there will much more to come throughout the season. BTW, Hekmen won the race, Jon was 4th and Neil was in the lead group that was directed off course and disqualified so they all rode great.
While I could have sat there and talked with them for hours on end there was a bit of raging to be done. Saturday night was the big party for me and Trav’s birthdays. Needless to say we had been looking forward to it for a while. Times when we can kick back and cut loose during the season are few and far between so we fully intended to make it count. Let’s just say it was great and thanks to everyone who helped make it happen. It’s going to be a tough one to top for sure.
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