Any thoughts of racing this past Saturday were dashed with my the enjoyment derived from taking the whole week off. I was perfectly happy avoiding competition. Instead it seemed like a good time to take a departure from the norm and break out the fixed gear. I rode around the neighborhood 3 times on a route that was designed to stay basically flat. I didn't ride hard but the switch to fixed gear worked muscles that hadn't been used in a while. More so because this was the first time I had ridden on public roads with my brakes stripped off the bike for track usage. Even a smallish downhill where you might have to stop or where there is a cross street makes you start to slow down well ahead of time. Applying reverse force on the pedals to slow is a little awkward but is a definite workout. I only rode an hour but I was slightly sore that evening.

Joe called Saturday night and asked if I was riding Sunday. I was but hadn't made any firm decisions on what I was going to do. We decided to go to Penrose. We warmed up for a while then started taking one lap pulls. We did a 5 lap race. He took the lead and I sat on as best I could since I was out-geared. I took advantage of being in back by trying some slightly different lines and seeing deciding where to make a move. If I could hold his wheel I was going to wait until the last turn, accelerate, and hope his bigger gear couldn't get up to speed in time. Everything worked to perfection and I got him by half a bike. Then we did sprints each lap and he mainly out-gunned me. He fixed a flat and we started taking lap pulls again. We kept swapping and he eventually cracked. I was glad because each lap had my muscles burning a little more. Then I flatted and we called it a day.

Right now the old legs are sore. They got a workout this weekend even without a race.