It's hot again...finally.

Cobb Park Criterium, 6/20/2009
Race # 23 & 24

Drew emailed me Friday morning writing that he had found a ride for us to Cobb Park. I was so damned excited because I was resigned not to race, this was an awesome turn of events.

South Chicago Wheelmen did a great job hosting it and the weather was great, the environment was great, SCW and the ICA had the organizational element covered like old pros and that led to a really relaxed race day. Too bad it conflicts with Grafton.

T1 report: my bloodsugar was very tight before the race today. I followed the protocol I set up earlier in the year and was able to follow perfectly. After the last lap of the first race my BGs became elevated and they never really settled back down before the start of the masters race. I didn't take any additional insulin as I feared I would go low (essentially "bonking" but for diabetics it is far more dire). I still took a gel and finished the race more within normal range despite the sprint.

The course: This was a surprisingly technical flat ~1k course around a really nice riverside park in Kankakee Illinois. Turn 1 was nice ’n wide leading to turn 2 which led from a wide city street onto the eastbound lane of a narrow residential parkway that was not more than 10-12 feet wide. The first lap or two had the nerves running high, there was some bumping and lots of slowing but after a while we managed it well. Between turn 2 & 3 was an interesting little chicane that could narrow the field even more than turn 2. This chicanery led to turn 3 where it was surprisingly difficult to determine the fastest lane—at least for me. Even when I was near the front I was loosing speed here on every lap, for some reason I didn’t find it till the last lap of my second race.

Cat 4, Race #23
14/40

I hadn’t done much of anything but a few sprints on Wednesday so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel. That and it was the first HOT day of the year. I normally wilt in the heat, but I must be tougher than last year or perhaps I’m just warming up smarter. Anyway, race goes off, we ride around, prime after prime keeps the pace pretty high. Wild Card and xXx were the best represented and so they did all the work: going off the front, each chasing down the other, etc. I sat in, and for ¾ of the race I didn’t feel great and then, finally, the race legs came back. But, my mind was still in vacation mode—no aggression at all, it was all fluf up there: sit in, don’t work hard. Its hot. Who cares about upgrading, I could be a 4 forever, and ever, and ever… On the last lap, poor positioning choices got me pinched in the gutter after turn 1 (grab breaks); pinched in the gutter after turn 2 (grab breaks hard) and once again I lost speed in turn 3. I finished 14th. I knew I could race better than that. Luckily, I was able to stay and race the masters 4/5. Drew did awesome and finished 4th! Drew, work on your 1 min max efforts to control that vomit reflex!

Masters 4/5, Race #24
2/40

Much better. Slower pace because there was only 1 prime. This race was a first: I flatted! While warming up on one of the sidestreets Drew and I were forced to ride over some glass—I though I missed it, but I guess it was everywhere, no escape. Luckily I race on Conti Gatorskins and it didn’t cause a problem in the first race. In the masters race, however, I rolled over something, a stick or stone or something not unusual or serious but then within 10 seconds I started going flat. I didn't pop, but it was a leak—so it must have been some debris already in my tire that finally pushed through. I thought my race was done, this situation was unfamiliar to me but luckily other racers told me to get to SRAM’s neutral support. I cut through the park, got to the Sram tent and quick as a whistle I was on my bike with a nice Zipp 404 rear wheel. I forgot the SRAM guy’s name, but he was really great. I stood there like a dummy watching him work and he began calmly coaching me: “Take a drink. Relax. Get on the bike. Clip in both pedals. Both pedals. Stay to your left ‘till you catch back on!” That was awesome. I was back in the pack after In the final 20 meters DJ (Get a Grip) and I bumped shoulders and I badly threw the bike somewhere near the line, it was an exciting finish. I felt much better going home with a result I could be proud of. But I had to return the wheel. Damn.