Bake Shop

The last race of the season is over and I'm pooped. Last weekend was the final race of the Iowa series and this year it concluded with 3 different races over the weekend. On Saturday we did a short track race a time trial. In the time trial riders are sent out in increments of 1 min to do one timed lap. The idea is to be at sprint speed since it's a shorter race and if you catch someone ahead of you cool...but if someone catches you then you know you're riding too slow. The short track race consisted of a tiny flagged loop around the bottom of the ski hill at Seven Oaks in Boone. This was my first time doing a race of this sort.

The format is you go for 20 mins and then two laps after that. I knew I wanted to go hard for 20 mins and then try to sprint my last two laps. My brilliant idea of trying to start my watch at the start wasn't so brilliant. Next time just start a minute ahead. After what seemed like 30 mins I started asking the helpers at the finish line for a time. The first time I went by all I got was a "keep going" motion. Arrgghh....next time I said a little more clearly..."what's the time". I'm sure the lead pack was getting the time but since I was back a ways I wasn't. Anyway...I started picking up steam when they finally said 18 and when Troy held up two fingers indicating two final laps I just started sprinting. I was able to get by 2 or 3 people and move up a few spots. I thought maybe Taylor would sprint with me to the finish but he must have been hurting cause he didn't stay up.

In the cross country race on Sunday I paid for my overextension on Saturday. My legs felt like poop and I knew I wasn't going to running fast today. I stayed with the pack for most of the 1st lap. Then a racer dismounted and that broke up our pack as everyone went by him. After this I lost my hold and was on my own for a while. Starting the second lap I was really feeling bad and just resigned myself to just ride and enjoy being on the trail. I spent a majority of this lap in cruise control until I spotted a glimpse of Taylor up ahead of me. This gave me a little inspiration to try and catch him so I did. Once on his wheel I asked how he was feeling and he said crappy and I was like "hey, me too!" So we both stayed close until the final descent. I knew I was going to have to stay on his wheel on the last downhill if I hoped to outsprint him to the finish. In hindsight I should have just gapped him right there on a part of the coure I'm stronger at. I always gain on him on the climbs but then he'll gap me on the downhills. Maybe that's an advantage of being in your early 20s....less concern about crashing? Down the last long downhill he gained a little space on me and then hard right turn towards the finish gave him just enough to get a lead on me. I was sprinting hard towards the finish but just was I was getting close to him my foot came loose from the pedal and I lost all my momentum. Woulda, coulda shoulda of the day....I wish that finish line was about another 40 yds away and I think I could have got him.

A big thanks to my Dad and Parker for coming to the race on Saturday. Parker had fun during the expert short track race trying to pick who was going to win. Dad also snapped off a bunch of pictures during my race too. It was a lot more fun racing Saturday having spectators in the crowd. That's a first for me and I definately enjoyed seeing them on each lap (we did like 20?).