Race # 2

Me on the far left thinking "man, I am totally unprepared for this race today." "I'm really glad I didn't crash back there," and "where's my Kodiak chaw when I need it."



A brilliant Matt Pence sprinting up the monstrous hill to win the Cat 3s at Hermann. (This fantastic photo was taken by Jonathon Schilling).

I haven't raced for well over a month. I journeyed over to one of the great German-American regions of the country--Hermann, Missouri--for what appears to be the advent of a fine, fine stage race/omnium competition. However, I got near the course and realized that I was not prepared for this criterium.

#1: The course is not unlike the Snake Alley Criterium in its elevation gain and the overall steepness of the hill. In fact, I usually have to tinker with my bike for at least a week in order to figure out the exact set screw configuration on my front der. so I don't drop my chain on the Snake. This would cause me serious problems very early on in the race(see see Jimmiez entry called "Record Snake Bite" for a better analysis of what it takes to be ready for Snake).

#2: I have yet another head cold that my daughter seems to have passed around the family this week.

#3: On the warm-up lap, when we were going about 45 miles an hour down the descent, a rider who will remain nameless (and who seems to be a really good guy, actually) almost took me out. I was very shaken at the start of the race.

All these excuses aside, I dropped my chain on lap number 2 and while trying to ride it back on (never a good idea in a race) very nearly caused a really, really bad crash. I wheeled off the course to put it back on so that I wouldn't wreck anybody else, but by that time I was so far in last place that I just said to heck with it all. I saw some other folks take free laps later on with thrown chains, but last I heard its your own stupid fault if you don't have your set screws right.

Finally, though, I was just shaken from the near accident on the descent, maybe I'm just becoming soft. I almost took one of the Revolution gals out, I mean it would have been an awful crash, and it just totally shook me up. After this second crash almost happened while I was trying to ride my chain on, I just could not motivate to keep going, esp. in dead last place and with a head cold.