The race was close to perfect also except for those darn crickets. Jesse and I kept hearing these crickets out on the course. It was a little weird....he said something about his brakes...I really couldn't hear him...after the race my rear wheel/brake would explain those funny noises.
I thought I was going to have a rough race after 5 racing weekends in a row. Last weekend at WORS cup I was coming unraveled right before I flatted. The fatigue of 24-9, WORS, then Ore To Shore had set in...then my dog got in a fight and got his ass kicked, Andrea was out of town, and I was busy at work. More than anything I was freaking about the dog. I didn't want him to die while Andrea was on vacation and I had to sign the death waiver as he went under for his stitches and he had to get a drain for the puncture wound on his chest.
Anyway it was a crazy week...after WORS Cup it was time for some relaxation and prep for the marathon. One long ride with Tristan, Spiro, and Erich Ponath and lots of rest and good sleep was the ticket. Plus it was nice to have Andrea back home.
The race started fast with Mike Phillips killing the lead out. I knew I had 3 miles to the singletrack so I just sat in on the road leadout. I went into the 1st singletrack about 7th or 8th. Slowly moved up to Lalondo's wheel where I remained the majority of the race. We settled in with Mike in charge and Marko dangling in 4th. By the end of the lap Marko made contact and the 4 of us rolled out for lap 2. Jesse took the lead in the singletrack and he thought we were laughing at him while watching him bounce off all the bumps. Really we were dropping Mike who may have started way too hard. Then it was 3...Jesse continued to pull on lap 3 through the majority of the lapped traffic. Lap 4 it was on...I thought I had a chance to win, but the lack of fluids had my legs in full cramp starting the last lap. I pushed through the pain, but had no water the entire last lap. I went to the front as much as possible, but Jesse seemed to feel no pain. In some spots I felt I could ride faster, but I think his fitness was superior at the end of the day. I finished 13 seconds back and Marko was another 20 behind me...with his hands torn back. I hope he can recover enough to hold the bars for SSWC. 2nd place was enough to win the inaugaral WORS Marathon Point Series.
Today I am feeling some good pain from the cramping of the legs. My back is hurting and I woke up at 5:00am this morning because I couldn't lay still anymore. I Love this stuff...Thanks to all the sponsors...PCW, TREK, Oakley, Crank Bros, Hyundai, and thanks to WORS and the Rhineland crew for a great race. ps....gotta love the Steelers hyperlink
2 comments:
Oh my gosh. Is roscoe okay?? Gees! That is hard core.
Rosco is in the process of making a full recovery....
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