Back OnThe Road

It's been just under two years since I last competed in a road race. I was a little nervous about Ken Woods due to it's distance, my lack of sleep, and my aforementioned time away from road competition. This was my second going at KWMRR my first being a rather good showing with a fourth place. But that was 2 years ago with more of a winter base under my legs. Back Then I showed up with shaved legs, Saturday I felt as if I was just showing up. I was definitely surprised by the size of the fields. It seemed like somebody may have mistaken it for a mountain bike race.
I had guzzled my pre-race drink on the drive down, while listening to MPR describe another white house scandal like FOLEY GATE. Sex in DC must require perversion, lack of values and in these two cases getting caught doing what you are in charge of overseeing the prevention and end of, in this case, human trafficking.
The highlight of getting to the race was the station wagon that had slid off the road and was being pulled out by a Saab. Amazingly enough it actual made it. Everything else happened like every race, I waste time fooling around with little things and fail to make a decent warm up to see how my legs feel. Any who
The 3/4 got started without incident. A nice tail wind blowing led us up the road to our first corner, I looked back to see where I was in the pack and saw maybe 3 guys spread out behind me.

Which reminded me of rule #1, it's easier to get dropped off the back if your on the back. So i slowly began working my way up, but due to the center line rule in effect, the fact that we were only a minute into the race and the density of the field I had to settle for moving from almost DFL to just slightly not DFL. I found it rather difficult when cat 4 fatty LSC guy would make room on his left I would start to move up and he would sway back and fourth, On time i even did the "courteous" hand on the the back so he knew I was there, and he swatted at me, and yelled "there's no room there". So I slowed came around on his right side into the wind and moved up near the front in a couple of seconds. This whole entire time I could only vaguely guess where Joel was, he had moved passed me earlier, but I couldn't see him now, Paul was up near the front as well but out of the wind. Nothing really happened for a good 20 miles other than flying up the final hill and being strung out in a long line.
I heard a crash behind me at about 30mph when a the shoulder of the road vanished and the cross/tail wind was blowing us towards the right hand shoulder. The group quickly recovered and begin another awkwardly slow march down the road. There had been two escapees down the road, one of which was about to get caught, when the race official pulled us over because our slow speed had allowed the masters 35+ crowd to catch us, so we sat on the side of the road for 5 minutes until he would let us go. Then bam, the race is really on. it's fast and furious at the front, all the way up the big hill as we pass the start/finish area the pace is just not letting up. and gaps are getting made. I can barely hold the wheel in front of me, and he is getting gapped , I've got nothing to get around him. 2 minutes later as we round the corner a group is tearing down the road and the field is in splinters. I have no idea where I sit, other than out of the race. So I get a GP guy to work with me, and we slowly catch up to 2 other guys , and get them to work with us, and as the road makes another turn we caught up to Paul who must have been just dropped from the lead group. we turn into the wind 6 deep, and only 3 working. We then catch another group of 6 with a couple of faces I recognize, Mike Bantle from Flanders, Owen Theole riding with cat 6 and a couple whose names I don't know. We finally get a semi decent pace line/echelon working in the wind and I can finally recover from all that effort.
Blah blah blah, we hit the 2nd of the three hills right as a group of riders from another race is overtaking us again. I am at the front having decided that this race will be a good workout and not just a rest until we reach the finish line. I get overtaken by the group on the bottom third of the climb and let them pass , but maintain my speed, look back and I have a decent gap on the guys I was just working with. So I figure what the hell, and just go for however long I can. Paul bridges up to me about 5-10minutes later, and right behind him are two Flanders guys. We work well together and extend our lead over the group behind us, hit the final time up the last climb and looking back I pinned it as hard as I could so we wouldn't get caught, when Paul throws his chain and eventually his derailleurs. I'm feeling pain agony and joy at finishing the race like this. My one mistake, not making Flanders guys take a pull on the finishing straight. I try to slow down and grab a wheel, but the side wind, the jelly legs and speed take there collective toll and I finish behind the two Flanders guys by 10 or so bike lengths. Little did I know I finished 13th , just wish Paul could have been there without the chain problems. He deserved a strong placing for all his hard work.
Road Racing I hate it and I love it.
Then I went to Northfield and worked for 3 hours demoing products for Flora.