The coolest thing about the local racing scene is that I can race with the Masters boys. They're super strong and fast so I get something out of it and because they're all cool guys, it's lots of fun. Today I headed to Wood Dale for the ABR State Championship with MetLifeGuy for 40min + 3 laps of enormous fun. I was feeling good - better since taking Friday and Saturday easy - so I was ready to do whatever I could to help Mike to a good finish.
I didn't actually count but it appeared that there were at least 40 guys on the start line - with a lot of firepower in the bunch including Wayne Simon, Mike, Tom Doughty, Stuart Grinnell, Fabio Orlandi, Andy Kerr, Gary Doering (who's riding really well this year), John Fleckenstein, and some other local killers. Not to be overlooked are the guys who come out and end up just getting in the way...maneuvering through that CF can be difficult and scary at times. A break got off the front about half way in - I was too cooked to get to it and a few of the strong guys missed it which meant the work was far from over.
Anyway, Gary and Fabio had teammates in the mix so after the break got away it was hard to reel it back in. Mike and Tom tried a bunch of times to animate the chase and get things rolling but every time they did someone sat on the front and let the gap open back up. With a lap to go, all the guys we hadn't seen for the entire race were suddenly in the front, riding like twitchy, wobbly fools. For the record, it's difficult to respect anyone who sucks wheel the whole race and then expects to drive the front on the final lap - that's just lazy. You know the guys I'm talking about - the slackers - the ones who say. "I'm not fat, I'm a sprinter." At first I was going to just let it go but then decided WTF - move up, sprint and see what you can do. I got a little pinched in the last turn but was able to snag (I think) 10th place thanks to a bike throw on the line. I have no idea who actually won - results weren't yet posted when I left.
It was a good outing for me - I felt good and had fun. Next up is a 2 person time trial with Brian Akers out in BFE Illinois somewhere next weekend. SuperWeek also starts this weekend so I'll be picking and choosing races that I like, are easy to get to and agree with my schedule - because I have a real job and will likely be heading to races right after work.
Thanks to all the masters boys who let me come out and play in their game - especially Mike, Andy, Wayne, and Tom. They are always polite and supportive - they respect my ability and treat me like I belong racing with them. After years of not having fun racing, it's become fun again and a lot of it has to do with them and the fact that they're good to me both on the bike and off.
If I come across any photos from today I'll update the post.
I didn't actually count but it appeared that there were at least 40 guys on the start line - with a lot of firepower in the bunch including Wayne Simon, Mike, Tom Doughty, Stuart Grinnell, Fabio Orlandi, Andy Kerr, Gary Doering (who's riding really well this year), John Fleckenstein, and some other local killers. Not to be overlooked are the guys who come out and end up just getting in the way...maneuvering through that CF can be difficult and scary at times. A break got off the front about half way in - I was too cooked to get to it and a few of the strong guys missed it which meant the work was far from over.
Anyway, Gary and Fabio had teammates in the mix so after the break got away it was hard to reel it back in. Mike and Tom tried a bunch of times to animate the chase and get things rolling but every time they did someone sat on the front and let the gap open back up. With a lap to go, all the guys we hadn't seen for the entire race were suddenly in the front, riding like twitchy, wobbly fools. For the record, it's difficult to respect anyone who sucks wheel the whole race and then expects to drive the front on the final lap - that's just lazy. You know the guys I'm talking about - the slackers - the ones who say. "I'm not fat, I'm a sprinter." At first I was going to just let it go but then decided WTF - move up, sprint and see what you can do. I got a little pinched in the last turn but was able to snag (I think) 10th place thanks to a bike throw on the line. I have no idea who actually won - results weren't yet posted when I left.
It was a good outing for me - I felt good and had fun. Next up is a 2 person time trial with Brian Akers out in BFE Illinois somewhere next weekend. SuperWeek also starts this weekend so I'll be picking and choosing races that I like, are easy to get to and agree with my schedule - because I have a real job and will likely be heading to races right after work.
Thanks to all the masters boys who let me come out and play in their game - especially Mike, Andy, Wayne, and Tom. They are always polite and supportive - they respect my ability and treat me like I belong racing with them. After years of not having fun racing, it's become fun again and a lot of it has to do with them and the fact that they're good to me both on the bike and off.
If I come across any photos from today I'll update the post.
