Saturday I made a brief appearance at the MO Track Champs. I can't really say I raced, so 'appearance' seems more appropriate. I could only stay for the Individual Pursuit and got there in plenty of time to test the aerobars, like I had hoped to do. The setup didn't feel so bad but I didn't feel particularly quick either. Once the Match Sprint seeding trials began it was time to hop on the trainer. I rode and rode and rode before we finally got around my Pursuit. I ended up being paired with Aaron. Great, like I needed to be going against someone with quite a bit of track experience. Aaron's quote that his earlier 200m sprint was as long an effort as he could give didn't exactly make me confident in my chances.
Both of us got clipped in and the horn sounded. I was out of the blocks faster than molasses. Getting up to speed from the dead stop was not good. That's the problem with trying a gearing I had never used before. I never did feel like I could get on top of the gear. It was uncomfortable the whole time as my form was all out of whack. I felt less than secure on the aerobars too. Halfway through I went back to my drops and finished that way. Out of the corner of my eye I could tell that Aaron was well ahead at that point so it couldn't get much worse. He caught me with 4 or 5 laps left. My race completely sucked. That race is a painful 4 kilometers
Sunday was our big Ste Gen ride. We had six guys show up. The forecast was rather good with mostly sunny skies and highs in the low to mid 80's and a comfortably cool start. Only a 30% chance of rain later in the day. The day was starting full of clouds however, and by the time we reached Imperial there was a stray raindrop or two. Not to worry! We turned off Hwy M onto the outer road here came the rain. A good, steady rain. Thank you so much Mr. Weather Idiot. We pulled into a gas station on Hwy Z, near Pevely, for a bathroom break and there was the expected moaning and some question as to whether we should go on.
Like good soldiers, we pushed on, battling the rain and headwind. If the temperature had been 10 degrees cooler it would have been pretty bad. As it was, those first moments in the saddle after gas station breaks or a flat tire were pretty chilly. I felt a little bad at the Festus gas station. Six drowned rats walked into the shop, dripping water and leaving little puddles wherever we walked. I'm sure they had to mop up after us. But hey, we spent money there. We didn't just use the bathroom and leave.
It wasn't until Hwy DD that the rain stopped and the skies began to lighten. That is 34 miles after we first rode into wetness. While the rain had stopped, the roads were still wet with plenty of tire spray for another 10 miles. By Ste. Gen the roads were only damp and after crossing the river the roads were dry and the sun finally came out. The return trip was made nice with a blazing sun to dry us out and a tailwind. There was some muttering about the legs feeling a little heavy and I could tell Jose was starting to feel the mileage. He had consistently pushed up the hills harder than the rest of us. The guy is a fighter though and rode well up until the last mile when he completely popped. I looked back as we turned off Bluff Rd and Jose was about a quarter mile back. I was shocked at how far back he was, but when you hit that wall like I did a few weeks back, you have no strength and can lose contact with others at an amazing rate.
Viewpoint: Last night was the Emmy Awards. Did I watch? No. The only reason to watch would be for the eye candy. While at work this morning I saw this photo of Tess Smith.
Who is Tess Smith and why is she at the Emmy's? I could google her but I don't care enough to bother. Now don't get me wrong, I like a sexy woman as much as the next guy but look at that dress. If she were to walk into a room dressed like that I would have a hard time not staring but that dress screams 'I am a talentless, nobody actress. Please, somebody notice me!' Show some taste Tess.
Both of us got clipped in and the horn sounded. I was out of the blocks faster than molasses. Getting up to speed from the dead stop was not good. That's the problem with trying a gearing I had never used before. I never did feel like I could get on top of the gear. It was uncomfortable the whole time as my form was all out of whack. I felt less than secure on the aerobars too. Halfway through I went back to my drops and finished that way. Out of the corner of my eye I could tell that Aaron was well ahead at that point so it couldn't get much worse. He caught me with 4 or 5 laps left. My race completely sucked. That race is a painful 4 kilometers
Sunday was our big Ste Gen ride. We had six guys show up. The forecast was rather good with mostly sunny skies and highs in the low to mid 80's and a comfortably cool start. Only a 30% chance of rain later in the day. The day was starting full of clouds however, and by the time we reached Imperial there was a stray raindrop or two. Not to worry! We turned off Hwy M onto the outer road here came the rain. A good, steady rain. Thank you so much Mr. Weather Idiot. We pulled into a gas station on Hwy Z, near Pevely, for a bathroom break and there was the expected moaning and some question as to whether we should go on.
Like good soldiers, we pushed on, battling the rain and headwind. If the temperature had been 10 degrees cooler it would have been pretty bad. As it was, those first moments in the saddle after gas station breaks or a flat tire were pretty chilly. I felt a little bad at the Festus gas station. Six drowned rats walked into the shop, dripping water and leaving little puddles wherever we walked. I'm sure they had to mop up after us. But hey, we spent money there. We didn't just use the bathroom and leave.
It wasn't until Hwy DD that the rain stopped and the skies began to lighten. That is 34 miles after we first rode into wetness. While the rain had stopped, the roads were still wet with plenty of tire spray for another 10 miles. By Ste. Gen the roads were only damp and after crossing the river the roads were dry and the sun finally came out. The return trip was made nice with a blazing sun to dry us out and a tailwind. There was some muttering about the legs feeling a little heavy and I could tell Jose was starting to feel the mileage. He had consistently pushed up the hills harder than the rest of us. The guy is a fighter though and rode well up until the last mile when he completely popped. I looked back as we turned off Bluff Rd and Jose was about a quarter mile back. I was shocked at how far back he was, but when you hit that wall like I did a few weeks back, you have no strength and can lose contact with others at an amazing rate.
Viewpoint: Last night was the Emmy Awards. Did I watch? No. The only reason to watch would be for the eye candy. While at work this morning I saw this photo of Tess Smith.
Who is Tess Smith and why is she at the Emmy's? I could google her but I don't care enough to bother. Now don't get me wrong, I like a sexy woman as much as the next guy but look at that dress. If she were to walk into a room dressed like that I would have a hard time not staring but that dress screams 'I am a talentless, nobody actress. Please, somebody notice me!' Show some taste Tess.
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