Fight the Constant Undertow

     Following Athens/Roswell came a weekend off. We had originally planned to do the last three days of Speed Week, but with my mixed results so far this season and the high threat of another rainy weekend, we decided to save the funds and stay home. I put in some good training rides, hitting the intensity hard, mostly out of frustration. I tried to solo off on all the weekly group rides. I did some damage to the group, but never was able to stick the solo break.

     I also got to take in a concert from one of my favorite bands, Lamb Of God. They are a really heavy band and, as they say about themselves, are pure American metal! I was on the fence about going alone, but it turned out to be a good decision. I had a great time and heard some head-blasting music. It was good motivation to get my butt on my bike and ride hard.

Lamb Of God playing the song "Omerta" at Marathon Music Works in Nashville

     The next race on my agenda was the Tour de Grove weekend in St. Louis. Shannon and I really like going to St. Louis. We are learning our way around town and finding cool things to do in our down time between races. We managed to get to the Soulard Farmers Market on this trip. They had some great produce at every stand. Some of the biggest carrots and oranges I have ever seen! We spent the weekend snacking on delicious fruit. I think I had a juicy orange about every 4 hours. They had livestock as well. I tried to get Shannon to buy me a duck to serve as our race mascot, but she didn't seem to think that would be a good idea.

     The St. Louis trip kept the high-stress theme of this year. We began the weekend by getting out of work late. I worked a half-day and got way behind. It really irritates me that some of my coworkers always want help, but they are unwilling to help me, even when they know I really need to leave on time. Anyway, there was an accident on the interstate right where we normally get on, so we took backroads through a thunderstorm to Hopkinsville to get around it. We were expecting a little construction traffic around Paducah, but not the major slow-down it turned out to be. We got stuck six times total throughout Kentucky and Illinois, due to a blend of construction, accidents and heavy volume.

     I thought we were going to miss the Midtown Grand Prix race. We got there with just enough time to register and change. But today turned out to be my lucky day. The races were running behind. Yes! Finally we caught a break! I got in my full warm-up, plus had time to line up early and get a second row start spot. I almost embarrassed myself when I couldn't get my feet out of the pedals. I was right in front of the pit, in front of a ton of people and suddenly had a beginner moment. I thought I was going down and started to aim for the grass next to the sidewalk, but just as I started to fall, my foot came loose and I saved it. Whew! Dodged the embarrassment, but still took the nose of the seat straight into my right glute. That felt awesome.

Cat. 4/5 riders come through the start/finish

Participants in the "Drag" race. Yes those are men looking like ugly ladies.

Cat. 2/3 riders packed on the start line

     The race started crazy fast. We had over 120 riders in our Cat. 2/3 field and they all wanted to be up front right away. I did a good job being aggressive and staying in the top 15-20 the first 15 minutes. I made some brave moves to hold my position through the corners, leaning on guys at times. Whatever it was that had me spooked with cornering at Athens and Roswell was long gone now and I was back to good ole aggressive me. My glute hurt the first few laps, but then finally started to go away.

     The course was a figure-8, gradually climbing from turn 1 up through turn 3, then descending from turn 4 down to the final turn 8. There were some potholes right in the preferred line between turns 7 and 8 that kept us on our toes all night. The cool thing about being behind schedule is that instead of racing in the evening sun, we raced into the night and got to finish under the lights. I always like the night races. It's so fun to go fast at night. This was not the same place we raced last year. This course was in the heart of Midtown and close to St. Louis University. I like this course more so I hope we come here again next year.

Midtown Grand Prix course

Cat. 2/3 Men underway

Me peeking into the shot during the early laps

     I slipped back in the group a little after 15 minutes. I wasn't hurting, just got shuffled around. The pace got crazy high about 30 minutes in and I couldn't move up. We were strung out single-file from the front to the back. I was about 75 riders back and that put me way, way behind the front of the race. I just prayed there would be no split and hung on to the wheel ahead. Once the pace slowed, we bunched up so much that passing was difficult. I got shuffled around a lot and found myself in a bad spot with 5 to go. I was probably 90 back in the group which had been whittled down to about 100 now.

Front of the group dives into turn 7

Small break of 3 tries to ride away

Turn 2

Me (#321) way back in a long line of riders

     I punched it hard up the climb between turns 2 and 3, but couldn't move up enough by the end. I was just able to crack the top 50 by half a lap to go. There was a crash coming out of the final turn that I slipped right through and wound up finishing 43rd. I moved up a lot in those final laps. I know I have the strength to get to the front, I just can't start from so far back. We averaged a blazing 26.7 mph for 54 minutes, which is super fast on such a tight, short course with that many riders.

Video highlights from Midtown, including a crash during the finish sprint of the Cat. 4/5 race.

Shannon eating yogurt next to the Flying Cow. It's a great place for a post-race treat in Midtown. Even on a cool night.

     Saturday brought the big race of the weekend, the Tour de Grove in the Mangrove area of STL. It's not my favorite course and not my favorite area of town, but the hype of the race makes it the highlight of the weekend. The Pro payout is huge and brings in the top riders. I again did the Cat. 2/3 race, which had over 130 riders starting. The course was changed slightly this year, eliminating the back section that featured the tricky chicane that caused our big crash last year. It was basically a big, flat triangle. The front stretch was forever long. It made Roswell's front stretch seem short. Turn 1 is a bit tighter than 90 degrees and narrow compared to the front stretch. There's a short stretch then from turn 1 to turn 2. Turn 2 had a wide exit onto the long backstretch. The final turn was just shy of 180 degrees, but is plenty wide to roll through safely in a group.

Tour de Grove new course

Cat. 2/3 riders on the start line before the race

      I felt good in warm-up, but struggled in the race. I started a good 100 riders back. the pace wasn't bad early, but we were spread all over the road so I wasn't able to move up a ton. I tried to be calm and not move up too quick. Then we had a crash in the middle of the group in turn 1 about 10 minutes into the race. I got held up behind it and had to ride hard on the back stretch to get back to the group. Then there were gaps on the front stretch and a crash on the left just past the start/finish line. I had a hard time closing those gaps and was about to be shot off the back when there was yet another crash going into turn 1. Three wrecks in one lap. Yay. This one was sure to get me dropped, so instead of dodging it, I slid into it and took my free lap. I didn't go down, just kind of rolled into the wreck instead of trying to swerve through it like I normally would.

First lap of the Cat. 2/3 race

There were over 130 riders, but Shannon still found me and my black kit on the start

One rider hurting himself early

Group is packed up this lap...

...next lap things are blowing to pieces after the first two crashes.

     Many riders were in the pit and they just sent us off as soon as the pack came. I was probably 80th when the crash happened, but found myself in the top 15 after pitting. That never happens! I felt good for a few laps and stayed up front, then the pace got high again and I was shuffled back. I yo-yoed the rest of the race, moving up in the group, then fading back. I could move up every 2-3 laps, but couldn't hold the pace after making the effort to get there.

One rider off the front solo during the second half of the race

Exit of turn 3

Me squeezing into the shot, but mostly blocked by the rider in red.

2 laps to go. This would be the end of the day for me.

Highlights from my race shot on the GoPro

     I faded really bad at the 45-minute point and found myself clinging to the back. I lost the group at 4 laps to go and was pulled from the race at 2 to go. It sucked to get pulled, but I gave it my all and survived another hard day. I wound up 94th on the results. We averaged 26.3 mph for the 61 minutes I was on course, and that average includes a lap of sitting in the pits. I hit 41.6 mph one lap down the back stretch just before turn 3. Crazy!

     Below are pictures we took during the Pro races, followed by a video.

Pro Women come through the start/finish

An Optum rider

Pro Women in Turn 1

More from Turn 1

I'm hoping this sign was directing you to the building behind the dumpster, but I'm not sure...

Pro Men sprint off Turn 3

Turn 3 at The Grove

The bottleneck happens almost every lap going into Turn 3

Pro Men on the front stretch at Tour de Grove

Tour de Grove Video

     Sunday was another beautiful day of sunshine and warmth.This was the third and final race, this time in the Dutchtown South area of town for the Dutchtown Classic. We again had a huge field of well over 100 riders for the Cat. 2/3 event. Shannon and I went to church on the way over to the race and still had plenty of time to get ready. We are really learning our way around town now and don't get lost every two seconds like we did the past few years. I decided to do my warm-up on the road this time. I cruised some of the, how should I say, less attractive areas of Dutchtown. They were not the friendliest streets, but also not bad enough to make me nervous, especially with other riders out doing a warm-up with me. I turned around on one street and there was a lady standing next to the sidewalk. She muttered "You better ride that bike fast if you want to get out alive." And she smiled. I was like "What does that even mean lady?" I wasn't sure if she was kidding, if I misunderstood her or if she was going to kill me. Either way, it helped get the heart rate up on the climb back to the course.

     I felt surprisingly well at the start, especially considering how tired I was at the end of yesterday's race. The course in Dutchtown is like two crit. courses rolled into one. You make two rectangles per lap. The start/finish is located on a hill, very close to turn 1. The first turn is a 90-degree right, followed quickly by a 90-degree left. Then comes a long straightaway that gradually descends to turn 3. This turn is a sweeping 90-degree right. It's more like a yield lane than a regular turn. Some people consider it two turns. Turn 4 awaits before a long gradual climb up the first half of the backstretch. The second half of the backstretch then descends to a tighter, more off-camber turn 5. Turn 6 then ends things with a fast 90-degree right that takes you to the finish climb, which is a short, but fairly steep sprint up one city block.

Dutchtown Classic course

     The race was fast! We were strung out early on and I was at the back yet again with a poor starting spot. I got stuck behind a guy that was walking on the start. I don't know what happened, but he was off his bike walking across the road just a few feet beyond the start line. I played my cards right today though, moving up every chance I got. The back of the pack crumbled behind me. I kept working my way up, but no matter how far up I got, there always seemed to be a gap behind me.

Cat. 2/3 Men come out of turn 1 in the shadow of the nearby Catholic church

Turn 2

Me on the outside in turn 2

Long single-file line down to turn 3

One rider off the front early

     Halfway through the race I was hurting bad after a few prime laps. I was about to come off the back when the pack slowed. I guess everybody else was hurting too. The rest of the race I just concentrated on staying mid-pack of the 60 riders that were left. With 3 to go I moved up to the front, getting myself inside the top 10. I got shuffled back down the backstretch with 2 to go, but found an opening up the right side coming up the hill at the start of the final lap. I made a big effort to pass as many as I could before turn 1. It turned out to be a good move. I was on the inside and a crash happened on the outside, right next to me. I slid right by it unscathed. The only problem was that a small gap was now ahead where those riders had been. The pace was super fast and that small gap was very hard to close. I was around 20th going into turn 3. Only about 35 of us were left in the front group after the chaos of the crash.

Turn 3

The line is stretched from turn 3 all the way to turn 4

Turn 4

This rider stayed off the front for a while

The pack chases

Me sprinting to try and stay on the back of the crumbling pack

Riders were being blown out the back like this every lap

     Coming off turn 4, the group slowed and fanned out across the road. The right side had been the place to move up down the backstretch for most of the race. I wanted to stay on the right and use that to move up the second half of the backstretch, but the group blocked that side of the road initially and so I went left, following one wheel through the group. There is a very slight bend down the back that is bordered by a tall, abrupt curb. The group pinched us both off, nearly ramming us into the curb. I don't know how I missed the curb. We were doing 25 mph and I couldn't see anything but curb, but somehow I did not hit it. I had to check up the brakes and that sent me to the back with no momentum going into the descent. There was a crash on the left just before turn 5 that further strung out the group. I spent the last 2 corners and the sprint just getting back up close to the group.

Orange guy still out front alone

The slight bend in the backstretch that nearly put me on the ground the final lap

Video: My full race from the GoPro mounted on my stem. Last lap was the most exciting lap of the race.

     I wound up taking 33rd. We raced for 60 minutes with a 27.5 mph average speed. It was yet another fast race for the Cat. 2/3s. I was not happy with my placing, but I was glad to be up there fighting in the final lap. I put myself in a good position today and was aggressive the final laps, so that is some improvement. I just wish I had been a bit more patient and waited for the right side of the road to open up that last lap, because eventually it did open up like I had expected.

Bike Art from some of the local kids

The Dutchtown shop windows had pictures hanging all over them

Pro Women

Four broke away midway through the race

One rider tried to bridge to the break, but never made it across

Pro Women's peloton comes off turn 4

The break in turn 3

The bunch chases through turn 3

Race winner Theresa Cliff-Ryan just after the race

Pro/1/2 Women's podium

Pro Men on lap 2

Turn 6

Pro Men head toward the finish climb in the closing laps

Race video from the Dutchtown Classic

     So my big Spring races are in the books and it's time to sit down and evaluate it all. My results were nowhere near my goals, but I have made some progress. Now it's time to tweak the training plan and keep getting better for the round of races coming in the Summer. Can't let the undertow of disappointment bring me down.

Opportunity Missed

     The week between Anniston and Athens was a crappy one. I didn't get to ride a lot. To be honest, I lost a lot of motivation with the dismal performances I had in Alabama. I know that the crit. performance was not entirely my fault, but it still crushed my motivation. I didn't eat well all week and my riding was scattered. It wasn't until Friday that I got pumped about the race. That's ridiculous for me. I'm usually chomping at the bit to get after it at Athens.

    The trip was fun as my Mom tagged along with us. We drove part of the way on Friday, stopping in north Georgia for the night, then finishing the drive on Saturday morning. The theme of the weekend was rain. The forecast looked bleak, with Saturday having a 70% chance of rain and Sunday a 90% chance.

    It rained off and on during the rest of the drive to Athens. It was a bit hectic getting parked, registered and ready after we missed a turn coming into Athens. I think we miss the same turn every year. I'll have to plan a little better next year. I actually felt good in warm-up. I did my riding on the local roads, which is unusual for me. The trainer gets my heart rate up better, but today I was feeling good on the road and was able to get the heart elevated with little difficulty.

    The course was wet for the early races, but had dried by the time my Cat. 1/2 race started. I chose to go with my Maxxis Re-Fuse training tires, which are heavier, but I trust them more in the rain. I have never ridden my Maxxis Cormet race tires in the wet. Testing them out for the first time in a race is never a good idea. Especially when the race happens to be the biggest race of the year. There were still too many black clouds floating by to chance it.

    The morning race course is just over a mile in length, going around the Oconee River Greenway park in downtown Athens. It's a tough course, nothing like the evening course used for the Amateur Finals and Pro races. This course begins with a descent, then takes two 90-degree right turns before a long, flat backstretch. Two more 90-degree right turns await before an uphill to the finish line. Things always bunch up on the backstretch, making it hard to pass and also hard to hold your position.

Race course from my GPS

     My goal was to finish in the top 35, which is how many qualified from our race for the Amateur Finals later that night. The Finals is made up of the top riders from each of the classes. They throw us all together and let us wallop on each other for 25 laps as a warm-up of sorts for the spectators before the Pros come out.

     The field was a bit tougher this year. There were more riders, more teams with 3+ riders and more speed. I started near the back and had difficulty even moving up at all the first few laps as the pace was brutally fast. It finally slowed down after 20 minutes and I began to move up. I pushed myself a little too hard to get through traffic and found myself in a world of hurt as the pace got cranked back up again. A break of 5 had gone clear and now the chase was on!

Cat. 1/2 field strung out on the first lap.

Attacks continued the first 15-20 minutes. They were relentless!

Me back in the group sporting the Maxxis orange and black.

Riders come off turn 2 under the railroad bridge

Me working hard on the backstretch

I'm taking the inside line through turn 2, just behind my old teammate Steve Carpenter

Peloton coming off turn 1

      I never seemed to recover from that the rest of the race. I dropped back in the group, finding myself at the back of a group that was down to about 60 riders. That's 40 less than what we started with. The pace definitely took its toll and attrition was high.

    With 4 to go, I made a big effort to move up, but couldn't hold my place. I could push hard, but my legs and heart could not sustain the effort and I would have to back off. I found myself just a few riders from the back of the group with one lap to go. The break was still up the road. We were gaining quickly, but they were able to just hold off the group. I tried very hard to move up through turns 1 and 2, but found myself blocked in down the backstretch. I thought my chances of qualifying were over, but I still gave it everything I had up the hill to the finish. To my surprise, a lot of riders were totally blown coming out of turn 4. The pace was so high the first part of the lap that the guys had nothing left to sprint with. I picked off many riders, crossing the line in 30th, just inside the mark to get me into the Finals.

The break of 5 starting to form halfway through the race

Chris Cundiff and I are riding together here, just on the right edge of this shot.

The break comes up the hill with just a few laps to go.

NOW and Novartis riders swarmed the front the final few laps

     Here's some video that my Mom shot during the Cat. 1/2 qualifying race.

Cat. 1/2 qualifying race video highlights

    I think the speed of the race and the size of the pack freaked my Mom out a little, but she still really enjoyed getting to see her first big crit. with me in it. Now it was off to the hotel for a shower, some food, a little stretching and a quick nap. It's amazing what a quick power nap can do for the body. I felt great after a 20-minute snooze. A quick check of the weather showed  a better forecast. The radar was clear for the next few hours. I was so excited to have another shot to race at night in Athens!

BMX Comp

Video: BMX Competition clips

    I changed my tires for the Finals. The Cormet's are not only lighter, but the rubber compound used is faster rolling and grips better in the turns. You need grip at Athens because you go ridiculously fast through the corners, especially turns 2, 3 and 4. You definitely have to trust your cornering abilities and hope the guy next to you can hold his line.

     We started in the late evening, with a setting sun dropping below the buildings. The course is a rectangle with four 90-degree right turns. The front stretch is pretty flat. The course slightly descends through turns 1 and 2, before going up a hill for the first half of the backstretch. The second half then goes down into a fast, wide turn 3. You can carry your speed well over to turn 4, which is a bit tighter on the exit of the corner. It's not a hard course, but it is a hard race as someone is always willing to push the pace. This is about the biggest race an amateur rider can win so riders usually get a little out of control at times.

Finals course in Downtown Athens

    There were 100 of the best amateurs on the start line. We were delayed a little at the start due to the pace car driver disappearing. They had a hard time finding him which surprises me because I would be very excited to drive the pace car for Athens Twilight. I started maybe 70 riders back which made for a hectic first half of the race. I was patient the first few laps, making moves when they were easy. It's very easy to let the crowd and hype of the race get you over-excited. You can blow up here before you even realize you are hurting.

The SRAM mechanics are ready for the Amateur Finals

And we're off!

Group goes between turns 1 and 2

Me working my way through the group

Going into turn 1

     By halfway, I was in a good position. I made a move up the right through the start/finish line to gain a few spots. It was the best move I could have made because just as I pulled out, there was a huge crash on the left side of the road. It took down many riders. I made it through clean, but still had to work hard to close down the gaps that had been left. I heard the announcer say there was a big cloud of dust kicked up from the crash. I figured that was an exaggeration, but he was not kidding. There was still a big cloud floating towards turn 1 when we came around the next lap. And they were still picking riders up out of the road and setting the side fencing back up.

     The next lap there was another crash, this time one rider. He caught a wheel and went down hard near the top of the climb. Again, I was on the right and he was on the left. And again, there was a big gap I had to close because of the crash. Closing this gap hurt me bad. I thought I was going to get dropped the next lap, but just as I hit my limit, the pace slowed down.

    The pace was slower for a few laps as everybody rejoined from the pits. We were left now with about 50 riders in the main group. One rider was off the front solo with a small gap. I sat near the back until we got inside 5 laps to go. I made up most of my spots by threading the needle on the outside of the backstretch, sliding myself between the riders and the fencing as we approached turn 3. That got me up inside the top 15 with 3 to go.

The peloton passes one of the dining areas on the backstretch

Topping the hill on the backstretch in front of the big screen which was later used to provide a live feed during the Pro races

     I was feeling great. The legs were good and I was ready to get after it on the last lap. Then I picked the wrong line coming to 2 laps to go. My side of the road slowed down and I had nowhere to go. I was blocked in and could only watch as numerous riders went by on the right side of the road. I found myself way back. The opening I had been using on the backstretch was not there this lap and I was unable to move up. Normally, I will dive-bomb the corners and gain some spots there, but I was not aggressive through the turns this night. I picked off a few riders as we passed the ringing bell, signaling one lap to go. I was still too far back and the pace was high now. We were all single-file up the hill as the sprint was already on to catch the one rider who was still dangling off the front. I was not able to do much the rest of the lap. I got gapped through turn 4 and spent my sprint just catching up. I finished 33rd. I was disappointed as I felt like positioning mistakes really cost me a chance at a good finish. I had great legs when it counted, but was not in position to use them. I really missed out on a great opportunity to do well at the biggest race of the year.

Mark Fisher out front solo

Group rolls into turn 3

On the short stretch between turns 3 and 4

Sprinting off turn 4 with a few laps to go

     Full race footage from the GoPro is posted below, along with some clips my Mom filmed as she watched. She was definitely more concerned with looking for me than looking through the camera at what she was filming, but that's ok. At least she was into the race! I enjoyed the fact that she found me near the back of the group for the first half of the race, then couldn't find me once I moved up. I like being tricky like that, especially when it involves moving forward. You can see me scurry around the two crashes somewhere around halfway into the race on the GoPro video.

Video: My handlebar cam from the Amateur Finals

Video: Amateur Finals

    I thought it was really cool that Mark Fisher was able to hold off the group to get the win. He's a young Cat. 3 with a lot of talent. He was solo for most of the race, never more than 10 seconds ahead. He pushed hard despite the small gap and it paid off big for him. That's a big, big win for a Cat. 3.

    We hung around for the Pro races. They are always fun to watch. No other race brings the kind of speed you see from the Pros at Athens. The Fat Tire Crit. was also brought back this year to the delight of the fans. The crowd was big, but everybody was nervous after the recent bombing of the Boston Marathon. It was a bit chilly standing out watching the riders fly by, but the rain held off so it was a great evening. Erica Allar took the women's win, which ended in a bunch sprint. The Men's race was very exciting. Three riders broke away int he second half of the event. Two of them were sprinters on the top two teams present. Carlos Alzate (United Healthcare) and Frank Travieso (Team Smart Stop-Mountain Khakis) got so worried about each other that they let Kevin Mullervy (Champion System) get a gap. Then they didn't chase him. Mullervy went solo the last 10 laps to get the win, even weaving his way through the remnants of a crash that took down most of the peloton with a few laps to go. It was a big win for Mullervy and his Champion System team. It was the first big race that United Healthcare has not won this year. Read about both Pro races here on CyclingNews. Videos we shot are also posted below.

Theresa Cliff-Ryan on the front in her stars-and-stripes National Champ skinsuit

Women head for turn 3 in the waning light

Video: Pro Women

Video: Pro Men

     The weather did not cooperate so well for the second day of racing. Sunday saw the riders travel to Roswell, GA, just on the north side of Atlanta, for the Historic Roswell Criterium. This is always a fun race as the city and surrounding neighborhoods really support the event. The people usually come out in droves. That is...when it's not raining buckets like it was this year. It was dry when we went to church in Sandy Springs. The rain starting pouring on us when we got to within about 5 miles of Roswell. So close to having a dry day!

    I swapped my tires back and got ready for the race. The races had all been starting late, but I wasn't counting on a late start. I fiddled around too much and only got in a short warm-up. I felt like crap. The legs were numb, I was cold and I couldn't get my heart rate up. We were parked at a bank and I sat on the trainer under the drive-up window awning. Bad thing was that we were quite a ways from the race and I couldn't see the course to tell if they were on time or not. So I jumped off the trainer early and headed to the start. It's a narrow sidewalk that takes you to the staging area. It's always full of people walking and watching so it takes a long time for you to get down to staging. When I got there, I found out that they were still 40 minutes behind schedule. I didn't really have the time to go back to the car and get on the trainer again (that's how long it took to get down that sidewalk). I decided to try for a road warm-up again like yesterday. Haha yeah right. There was tons of traffic and no open stretch of road longer than 30 seconds long. The police had blocks on all the major roads. You didn't even have the room to do an all-out sprint. It made for a difficult time getting my heart rate up.

     Just a few minutes before the start I found a little hill on a dead end road. I sprinted it twice and was still unable to get my heart rate up. My legs were just not cooperating today.

New Roswell course map from my GPS

Cat. 4s on course

    I fought for a good starting spot, but still found myself way back in the group as we took off in a downpour. I was cautious at best through the corners. They had added a little segment to the course this year, extending the already crazy-long front stretch, then adding a new turn 1, which was about 120 degrees to the left and covered with slippery road paint. I didn't notice it being too slick through the corner, but coming off the turn was downright treacherous. The guy ahead of me completely spun his back tire on one of the painted turn arrows the first lap. He did a complete pedal stroke while it spun. The paint squealed too making us all take notice.

Cat. 2/3 field ready to start

Underway in the rain

     The first lap was slow, then things got crazy. I dropped back in the turns as I was just not comfortable at that speed. Then gaps started to happen coming out of the tricky, off-camber turn 4. My legs were crap and my chest was hurting. My heart rate was already 40 beats higher than I got it up to in warm-up. I found myself off the back all the way down the front stretch the second lap. I rejoined the group just before turn 1. I was blown already and they came out of the turn fast, gapping me again. I had nothing left to close the gap with and my race was over already. A few riders came by later in the lap, but I couldn't even get onto their wheel. My legs were the exact opposite of last night.

The field strung out on lap 2

Still single-file on lap 3

Me trying to hold a wheel as several of us got popped off the back in the downpour

     I was pulled by the officials at the end of lap 4. That pissed me off because I paid $45 to do this race and they pulled me after just 4 laps. Nobody had been pulled in any of the previous races, but they pulled me "in the sake of safety." I think the officials just get tired of keeping up with people, which is lazy. We pay you to keep up with people when we hand over that entry fee so do your job! I know I was out of contention, but I was less than half a lap behind. In no way was I interfering with safety.

    I was pretty devastated to be changing at the car after just 10 minutes of racing. What a crappy day. The rain was still falling so I took my disappointed butt home after Shannon and my Mom grabbed some lunch at the tasty Fickle Pickle restaurant. I was upset at bike racing right now and didn't want to stand out in the rain all day to watch more of it. At least we got home early.

     Here's the video of my four fabulous laps in the rain shot on the GoPro mounted on my handlebar.

Video: Cat. 2/3 Bar Cam

     I didn't watch the Pro races so I can't really describe them. If you are interested in what went down, read the swim report here, courtesy of CyclingNews.

    So, I had a mixed weekend overall. I did ok in the Athens qualifier, then had great legs in the Finals. Roswell was bad, but you are going to have those kind of days. Looks like I need some practice with rain riding. Still, I left yet another target weekend with no results to smile about. I want to move up to Cat. 1 and I want to get on a team. Anniston and Athens did nothing to help get me closer to these goals. Sometimes, racing is very, very frustrating.

     When I got home, Shannon had a few presents for me to open. Saturday was my birthday. That's right, I got to race Athens on my birthday! She ordered me a box of Wicked Whoopies. They are delicious! We won't talk about their nutrition content...

All kinds!

     She also etched a mug with my favorite symbol on it. With our last name being Greer, we are always on the lookout for things with G on them. This G is used to represent the Grimms in the Grimm Brothers' tales, where the Grimms were people who hunted things like werewolves. They were the badest people around in those tales. That's where Grimm Reaper comes from. It's a perfect representation of the aggression of racing! It doesn't get much better than Grimm Reapers and skulls to represent you on the course, in my opinion of course. If I ever start my own race team you can bet this will be on my jersey somewhere.