Another Spring Classic

Fresh off of Battenkill... if you could call it that... Jim Hoffmeister baits me with "hey we are riding Boone Roubaix this weekend.... should be epic..."  Epic? isn't that what DS said........ another Belgian slug fest with dirt roads, freezing temps, big steep climbs, and guaranteed wet as we have been having our spring monsoon up here.... As to spring.... well maybe in points south, but it is still winter up here........

So I think what the heck.... I have the bike all set up... nothing else planned.. its driving distance..... so I sign up thinking that this may not be such a good idea as Tour de Moore is the following weekend....

It's a 3hr drive to Boone from home... so I head out before the crack of dawn ... it stopped raining during the night but it is only 34 degrees..... that little snow flakey thing on the dashboard is all lit up to tell me I should probably rethink this.....

9am at the start.... the parking field is like a mud marsh... J&B are here, Wes and Art from Sycamore Cycles... 250 person mass start.... all classes start together..... 36 degrees at best..... freezing waiting for the gun...... Bam! off ... across the wet grass and muddy drive....left onto a a 3 mile section of dirt road...... it is all strung out.......

My rear tire feels soft.... I look back and see it has definitely lost some air but not flat..so I just push on....can't hang with my group up the first big climb... Tom Ratajczak (abrc 60+) catches me with 4 others at about mile 20 and we ride together until the next big climb when again I can't hold pace.... aid station at mile 26.... I stop and use their pump and take that rear tire up to 100psi.... seems good.... and go.... up the Koppenburg... this hurts..... catching riders no one really to ride with... mile 35 I see Tom and another rider I chase them down and get on..... we ride the river section doing a 3 man paceline... sweet..... at the turn off we hit a 3 tier climb... I can't hold pace.... they pull away.. Tom drops the other rider.... I catch him but Tom is putting distance on me...... Top out... go go..... Tom is out of sight... not to be.... I enter the marsh field 300 meters to go.... a car coming at me... change ruts.......BAM.. I am down... hard..... back up... on the bike and I ride across the finish looking like a mud drenched Belgian....

Got 2nd in the old guys..... under 3 hours not bad.... Oh and Beth... she won the women's 40+..  So a good day for Headstrong...   And Jim.... well he was ahead of Beth but rode off the course doing a "bethster" losing significant time and place.... but finished .... great course, great ride......lots of fun...