Fall Challenge

Day before the race I was riding easy and an amish buggy was heading my way. Sounds normal if you live in Amish country. We'll the reason it's in my race report is because when people think of Amish they wouldn't think that the bass of a song is coming from the Amish buggy. That was a first for me.

Race day: Thanks to my Wife for taking care of our little girl. Caylin had a little cold and is into everything already LOL. We are very blessed! Thank you Jesus!

Thanks to Becca, and Summit Freewheelers for a very safe race.

I sat in the 1st 3 laps and after that a group of strong riders pulled away from the field. I joined them and worked hard to stay away till the group was to big. Once the field brought us back I took off up the hill hoping they would let me go. I had a good gap by the finish with 2 laps to go. Brian and Dan bridged up to me on Steels Corner Rd. We had a big gap and lost sight of the field before the climb.

I worked as hard as I could during those last 2 and a Half laps. It all payed off when Brian and Dan helped us get away. Thanks guys great job! Thank you Jesus for keeping us safe!

Not sure which was more stressful, the drive to Cleveland or the Race. As usual I don't get out of the house till ~20 minutes later than I should. Then crusing down I-71 between Columbus and Mansfeild I see the highway patrol setting out flares. Oh No.. why is he doing that? I find out thirty seconds later when I accreate onto the back of a line of roughly 500+ highly annoyed, and very -stationery- motorists. I sit there for maybe 3 minutes staring down the road without moving an inch and 'authorize' myself to do 'U'y' on the cutoff. Then go screaching off the down the road to the previous exit and take state 42 most of the ay to mansfield.

Anyway I get there with maybe 5 mintues to spare. They almost don't let me sign up for the 'B' race, but I get in anyway. Fortunately we start 10 minutes late which is just enough time to use the bathroom and fill up my waterbottle.

The race was a fairly big field, maybe ~ 40 people. The course is pretty nice: a long window rolling downhill, trminated by a short step decent followed by a steep accent that blended into a long winding rolling uphilI. I spent the first lap warming up. The race wasn't too eventful, every lap a few people would try to break away on the uphill or downhill side, but they were always brought back. I pulled a few times trying to run a break on the uphill section with a few other guys, but we could never muster enough sustained horsepower to get away.

The exception of course was the last lap when I drop back in the field to slurp gatorade and prepare for one of my trade-mark devastating field sprint finishes (Hah! 'well I'm screwed.' I'm thinking, 'might as well conserve myself to minimize the humiliation of the inevitable'). Somewhere in there two people get away and the field chases them with minimal success most of the way down the hill. Finally we catch one of them at the base of the hill, but somebody (maybe the same guy?) flies up the hill with me and the rest of the field wheezing on up in his wake. Not having enough gumption to pull I sit in the top 5 just trying to keep up. Anyway on the last roller before the finish it becomes pretty obvious the leaders probably going to pull it off, but the field tries anyway. On the last pitch over the top, the guy in the lead gets stuffed by the grade. 'What the hey.' I say and punch it up over the top and into the last 200 downhill meters into the finish line. *Puff* *Gasp* *wheeze* I go into the headwind. 'Hm, I should be run over any second now....' Hey I might catch the leader? Up nope, there he goes over the finish line. Maybe a second? Arg! two guys edge past me in the last 20 meters and I barely hold off a third.

Better luck next time.