Today has to go better than Saturday, right? Right?
Wrong.
Now, understand, this is most likely my last CX race of the 2005 season and the Series Finals for Pilarcitos, and double points. I crashed and came up a bit short yesterday, just out of the top 10, and tragically well behind Granshaw. But today, well, things have to get better. I mean, as long as I can stay upright, everything is bound to go better.
It started off well enough. Despite a bad night of sleep my legs feel pretty good. Rode the trainer for 30 minutes last night to psyche back up, and loosen up a bit, and it seems to have worked on both fronts. I warm up well, feeling surprisingly solid and secure on what was undoubtedly a treacherous course. At least the dirt part, anyway.
Good news, yesterday's drama didn't undo my call up, and it didn't even knock me out of 6th overall. Nick Hanni, who was just ahead of me yesterday, is still within reach. And he knows it. He also knows I just missed him the day before, even with the crash. Hope that makes him nervous.
Boom, the whistle goes off and we start. I get a great start, finding myself at the front with Nick, Rob Mau and the other front runners, and comfortable there. I come down the hill right behind Nick, top two. So he's going well, too, I say to myself. I tell him we should work together, but before we get a chance he makes a mistake in a corner and loses a few places. Now we're past the beach run up an I'm first. Rob Mau and Logan Loader are right on my heels. We hit the road section and ride off. Top three. I'm thinking "recover, recover, catch your breath and roll with this" and I'm trying my best, but slowly, the others are pulling me in. Slowly, I watch as the other top guys, like Eric Nelson, Max, et. al make their way past as I fade.
I would continue to fade until most of the guys who beat me the day before, including Granshaw and that little Eric Brady tool from the Ritchey Lapierre team, made it past me. With four laps to go, I find myself fighting Kammeyer and the chump on the fixed gear, again, same as yesterday. I'm now emotionally crushed, indifferent to the results, just wanting to get it over with but doing my best to not completely give up. I'd chase down Kammeyer's attack and try unsuccessfully to shake him, but he stays on my wheel. With no help from him, I would pass Max (who had a mechanical) and I'd drag Jim McDonald and Nick Hanni back into range, but Kammeyer would eventually come around me on the last barrier set and beat me.
It didn't really matter by then anyway. I didn't give up but I was cooked and running out of fight. So I finished 12th. Worse than the day before. My worst finish in the whole 2005 Pilarcitos series, and on the one day that's worth double points. Oh well.
I still finished in the top 10 overall. 7th, actually, and in the prizes. But I'm a fool and I had my street clothes on for the podium photos. Oops.
And that's that. From here I'd sink into melancholy, depression, shame, indifference, self pity and general malaise.
Wrong.
Now, understand, this is most likely my last CX race of the 2005 season and the Series Finals for Pilarcitos, and double points. I crashed and came up a bit short yesterday, just out of the top 10, and tragically well behind Granshaw. But today, well, things have to get better. I mean, as long as I can stay upright, everything is bound to go better.
It started off well enough. Despite a bad night of sleep my legs feel pretty good. Rode the trainer for 30 minutes last night to psyche back up, and loosen up a bit, and it seems to have worked on both fronts. I warm up well, feeling surprisingly solid and secure on what was undoubtedly a treacherous course. At least the dirt part, anyway.
Good news, yesterday's drama didn't undo my call up, and it didn't even knock me out of 6th overall. Nick Hanni, who was just ahead of me yesterday, is still within reach. And he knows it. He also knows I just missed him the day before, even with the crash. Hope that makes him nervous.
Boom, the whistle goes off and we start. I get a great start, finding myself at the front with Nick, Rob Mau and the other front runners, and comfortable there. I come down the hill right behind Nick, top two. So he's going well, too, I say to myself. I tell him we should work together, but before we get a chance he makes a mistake in a corner and loses a few places. Now we're past the beach run up an I'm first. Rob Mau and Logan Loader are right on my heels. We hit the road section and ride off. Top three. I'm thinking "recover, recover, catch your breath and roll with this" and I'm trying my best, but slowly, the others are pulling me in. Slowly, I watch as the other top guys, like Eric Nelson, Max, et. al make their way past as I fade.
I would continue to fade until most of the guys who beat me the day before, including Granshaw and that little Eric Brady tool from the Ritchey Lapierre team, made it past me. With four laps to go, I find myself fighting Kammeyer and the chump on the fixed gear, again, same as yesterday. I'm now emotionally crushed, indifferent to the results, just wanting to get it over with but doing my best to not completely give up. I'd chase down Kammeyer's attack and try unsuccessfully to shake him, but he stays on my wheel. With no help from him, I would pass Max (who had a mechanical) and I'd drag Jim McDonald and Nick Hanni back into range, but Kammeyer would eventually come around me on the last barrier set and beat me.
It didn't really matter by then anyway. I didn't give up but I was cooked and running out of fight. So I finished 12th. Worse than the day before. My worst finish in the whole 2005 Pilarcitos series, and on the one day that's worth double points. Oh well.
I still finished in the top 10 overall. 7th, actually, and in the prizes. But I'm a fool and I had my street clothes on for the podium photos. Oops.
And that's that. From here I'd sink into melancholy, depression, shame, indifference, self pity and general malaise.
posted by the seamus at 8:57 PM
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