Since the B's were sold out, I thought I might jump on the waiting list for the old grandpa race, the master A's, all along believing that I would never get a chance to race. Well as luck would have it after spending the evening at the local Essex pub drinking Pale Ale (I should know better than that stuff), I rolled in to meet some of the folks and sure enough I was on the list of 125 wankers due to hit the course. I didnt want to risk bringing my nice wheels if I wasn't assured a spot in the race which turned out to be a very very bad mistake.
The first lap started out fine, I started in the way way way back, I couldn't even tell the front guys jersey colors...
When we got to the dirt descent I made my way around a few dozen people and a little hump that seemed pretty easy to me gave me a bit of an edge over a few others.
Then we rounded the corner to a flat gravel road with a tailwind. All I heard around me was "Ca-chunk" the sound of chains moving to the big ring. I was spun out trying to hang on.. and I lost just about every single spot that I made up...
Into the first set of corners was like a crawl, it was brutal to be on the back of this race as the course was probably the fastest course I have ever been on with a smidgen of running each lap. Usually where you burn out a few riders. Not today. This was balls to the walls all out big ring racing.
Well, I had settled into what I thought was a good spot amongst a few other old fogies who were pulling me along good, when we hit a bump that was a bone jar... well my backup wheel is a White Industries Eno Eccentrics hub. Not the best thing to be running on a single speed but it works... that is until today when I hit that bump somehow the eccentric part turned and i dropped my freaking chain in the fastest section of the course. I took some brawn but I moved that wheel back a little where the rear brake barely missed the tire. I think it was one side of the hub just did not get cranked down hard enough. Race wheels next time. From there out it was a chase, I couldn't really get out of the saddle since my chain was loose.. I went as hard as I could only to blow hard.. and from there I just worked at keeping my pace to keep from getting lapped. But alas with 2 to go, I rounded one of the final corners and got passed by the leaders, making it my final lap. So I just hung on as long as I could staying out of the way. I think I beat 5 people.. haha probably more but not much more. I finished and felt like a hobbled horse ready to be sent to the glue factory as the pale ale was seeping through my skin.
Simon and Josh were great. The fast guys would be fast at this event. The course as I said was one of the fastest I have ever been on. Truly a road racer turned cross racers dream, Chris Horner was happy to be there I think.
It was hard to watch Simon and Josh not move forward, but it was clear that guys who they normally finish with were having just as bad a time.
After all that, we went out to a bring your own beer resturaunt which was amazing. Josh snarled cause they had such tasty Calimari! Nemo got a bowl of past under a huge pile of muscles and Scampi.. Oh and thats my Fotey.
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