Sat. - Rock Hill Winthrop Lake Crit

Arriving early its cold, the sure am glad I race in five hours, kind of cold. I register and go about the work of setting up the official Headstrong headquarters for the day under those now famous bike growing trees. Wind is coming up and the flag at the line is getting straighter and straighter as it flaps in the wind. I watch Perry, Randall, Joe, Cristina, and Emily all run great races but those are their own stories to tell. However, there is no better way to get pumped for a race then watching your teammates take it to the field. We all run to get some food and then its go time. The homestretch feels like a wind tunnel blowing straight into my chest. The attacks will definitely come there. Great advice to get to the line early by Randall pays immediate dividends when the race starts at a spirited pace. Some three or four bike length breaks occur but the field is bringing them back time and time again. Cash primes start to be called but with no amounts. The “how much” question goes around in the pack, and answers of fifty cents and a penny are offered up. Although funny if they can laugh the pace is not hard enough and it starts to get tight. We come to the bell lap and its spread out across the entire road. Elbows are out and I feel unfriendly handlebars on both sides. I know there will be a surge on the hill. It’s the last opportunity to pass before it goes single file to the line. I’m on the left side of the road a little too deep when the right side surges. We shoot through the negative radius turn down the hill sweep left and we are in the stretch. People are kicking very early I keep sitting repeating wait wait wait in my mind. 200 meters I start my sprint and pick up about 5 or 6 spots and end up 9^th on the day. Not bad for the first Cat. 4 race.

Sun. - Road Race

Cold again at the 8:00am start time. Serious weather checking and gear choices are being made. I warm up with leg warmers but shed them right before the race and this gets me a spot almost at the very back of the combined Masters 45+ Cat 4 field. The first 20 miles of the race is spent dodging massive craters in the road but thanks to Mel’s Saturday scouting mission I stay to the left and avoid most of them. Aside from the wheel crushing holes, moving through a large field is not a piece of cake, but I finally make it up to Brandon and Bird. I make a mental note never to be late to the line again. First hill at 20 miles offers the chance to move up some major spots and I finally feel comfortable with my position in the field. A couple more hills with the most painful for me out on the main highway and we start to really roll. Somewhere in a fast descent is a hard left had turn that is either not marked or some people got squirrely and the smell of brake rubber is in the air. Another surge as riders try to cash in on the surprise. Two masters are soon off the front perhaps from the surge but most of the Cat 4’s at the front refuse to chase. One more steep hill at mile 34 but the lead group hangs together. The mileage starts to creep towards 45. A few surges and I should have known we were coming to the end, but it does not look familiar. Later it would be discovered we somehow scouted the wrong road after riding the closed road that makes up the last 1.5k of the race. I see the orange cones that mark the closed road and I find myself on the extreme left riding on the yellow line. A rider on my right starts yelling at me to get left. I can’t see the sign on the right to mark the 1k where the whole road opens. Riders swing left finally and I grab a wheel. Gaps are opening and closing incredibly fast. My leadout is slowing. There’s daylight to the right. I power through the opening and only see one guy on the left as I hit the line. Ends up a third place with second getting me by a tire width. There is no better way to spend a spring weekend then with great teammates racing the bike can’t wait to do it again soon.