January Nationals

Harkey won. I survived in the lead group. 53 miles of pain and suffering in Chatham County. Damn that hurt. If there was a prize for highest finishing place with the least amount of training I can’t imagine anyone even coming close to me. I think I’ve ridden my bike about 250 miles in the past 4 months. Most of my fellow January Nationals competitors probably rode that much in the past week alone.

It boggles my mind how much phlegm and mucus exited my body in the 2+ hours of “racing” (remember, this is only a coincidental gathering of 70 cyclists out for a brisk ride with a nominal cash payout at the finish…) At first I tried to consciously make sure my expectorations were carefully aimed to avoid myself and those nearby, but after about an hour I was getting so fried that the gooey mess just shot out without any real regard for it’s final target. I was not a pretty sight at the finish line.

I wish people would learn how to go around corners without using their brakes. Hello, it greatly reduces the acceleration you need to stay on the wheel in front of you! I think people were somehow freaked out by seeing snow on the side of the road and thought that it would surreptitiously migrate into the road and take them out, even though repeated laps of the course should have confirmed that the roads were indeed dry and ice-free.

Muscle memory and experience got me through, but there’s nothing like actually doing some training to make races easier. Imagine that…