Extra Cray-Cray

      The week leading up to Athens Twilight was my first week "off" work. Like I wrote about before, I put in my notice at work in order to find a better workplace. I want to work for people more focused on their patients and less about their popularity. The clinic I was at in Clarksville was no longer for me. I thoroughly enjoy working with Jessi down in Ashland City. She is a great therapist and puts the patients first. I considered requesting I go to Ashland City full-time, but then thought better of it. Shannon wants me to try less work hours and more race hours to see how far I can actually go with this bike thing. And the reaction I got when I put in my notice just made me want to get away that much more.

     I was surprised on the day before my last day when one of the partners of the company called me and made me an offer to stay. I thought I wasn't liked by any of the higher-ups, but turns out I was being fed false information by some of my more immediate superiors. My changing to part-time actually was an option the whole time. It also helped that Jessi called them and told them how much they were screwing up by letting me go. The offer they made me was to float around the company and fill in for people that take vacation. It's a similar position to the new place job I accepted, only STAR makes me more excited because it is outpatient, which I like much better than long-term care. I am not required to do any certain amount of hours. I can basically work if I want, or say no if I want to train. It makes much more sense for me to do this. I can set up a real training program, be off on the days I need to race, and study for my upcoming exams. It even came with higher pay! Plus I can work with the people I want to work with. I have control here in every aspect except guaranteed hours. Shannon and I are very good with a budget and are sitting good right now. We can pay the bills if I don't get a single hour for the month. We are kind of tightwads anyway.

     So my first week "off" saw me work two days at Ashland City, filling in for myself. So I got paid more to do my same job and got to work with Jessi. Things are starting off well! I also worked a day with my Mom. She works occasionally for a school fundraiser service that sells and delivers cookie dough and candy bars. She got associated with them through her time as secretary at our local elementary school. Turns out the owner rides bikes and practically begged me to tag along with her for a few deliveries. And he paid us well too, almost as much as I make doing therapy!

       My first ever cookie dough delivery took me to Manchester, TN. It's a good drive from our house, but we get paid drive time so I was good with that. We meet the delivery truck there, unload the cookie dough boxes and separate all the orders. Sometimes we actually hand out the orders to the parents/kids as they pick them up, but here we just separated the orders for later pick-up, so we were done early. Manchester is not far from the AEDC trails, so we took mountain bikes and hit the trails after work. One lap is 12.5 miles, which is a bit long for my Mom, but she did well. There's minimal climbing, but what is there comes all in the last 3-4 miles. I enjoyed the ride. It was not the best trail I have ever been on, but it was far from bad.

AEDC Trails from my GPS

Following my Mom at AEDC

Green snake hanging out by the trail

A portion of the trail runs next to Woods Reservoir

A pine forest planted years ago

     I also worked on our backyard trail that week, spending lots of time blowing leaves and trimming a few new sections. We have spent a lot of time on a new section around the pond. We did a lot of benching to add in some fun rollers on the hillside and extend the length of the trail. I filmed one full lap of the trail (4.4 miles) with the GoPro helmet cam and you can see it below. Go ahead and watch it. You know you want to ride a lap with me!

A full lap of my backyard trail

     We also put in the rest of our garden. Lettuce, spinach, kale and carrots were already in the ground and doing well, but it was time for the rest of the stuff to be planted. We have about twice as much garden space as last year. We planted green beans, peas, peppers, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, okra, onions and cucumbers. I can't wait to eat some fresh salads and pickles later this summer!

    I was a little worried about my body when we departed for Athens on Friday afternoon. The week was very physical and I was worn out! My Mom decided to go with us again this year. She said it was a fun weekend last year, even if it did pour rain all day at Roswell. We hit Prater's BBQ for dinner, a place we saw while in Manchester for the cookie dough. It's a good place, with much more to offer than just BBQ.

     Going down on Friday was really nice come Saturday morning. We were just 10 minutes from the morning race course, so we were able to sleep in and take it easy instead of getting up stupid early and driving like a maniac for 3+ hours. I got in a great warm-up and was feeling good for the Cat. 1/2 race. My legs felt great! So much for worrying about being tired. The goal was a top 10, or at least a top 35 to get into the evening Amateur Finals on the fun course.

     Every year I write about how much I despise the morning course. It's just not my style. I always wind up getting blocked in on the backside and having to produce a crazy sprint just to make that top 35. It's the layout of the course that causes the bunching effect. The front stretch has an uphill to the finish line, then a downhill to turn 1. The backside of the course is flat. Nobody wants to pull back there because they want to save their strength for the hill.

Cat. 1/2 group on the line

I was in green this week and sporting an even bigger beard

Cat. 1/2 race gets underway

Peloton rolls down the hill toward Turn 1 for the first time

    I had a good start and stayed up front early, which is the first time I have ever been able to do that. usually I hang onto the back the first 20 minutes and almost get dropped a few times. There was a slowing on the backstretch about 4 laps into the race and the guy behind me evidently forgot where his brakes were. He plowed into the back of me, pushing my rear derailleur into my back wheel. It immediately shredded the derailleur, hanger and a fair number of spokes in my wheel. I was a long way from the pit and unable to roll, much less ride. The moto official told me to call it a day because it would take me too long to get to the pit. I was not about to quit. I ran the rest of the lap up the hill to the pit. You can't cut across the course here unless you want to swim. The course goes around a river.

    The group made 2 laps before I finally made it to the pit. The SRAM crew went to work getting me sized up for one of their neutral pit bikes. I was handed a Specialized Tarmac with SRAM Red shifting and sweet Zipp wheels. The crew joked with me to not bring their bike back looking like mine. I was reinserted into the race at the back, but quickly moved back up. Shifting required a bit more thinking on my part as I have never ridden SRAM double-tap levers before. One lever shifts both ways on the cogset. My Shimano shifters have two separate levers. I shifted the wrong way several times coming out of the corners. That kept me from ever getting to the very front. I followed an attack at one to go, but it almost blew me up and I had little left for the sprint, but wound up getting into the Finals by grabbing 27th place. Not bad for a crazy race and doing it on a bike I am not familiar with.

Me in the group, still on my bike here

Pro rider Nathan Brown's younger brother, Johnny Brown, taking a dig off the front

Johnny Brown still pushing on

A Hincapie Devo rider attacks

You can see me on the left of the group here as we come up the hill

I'm on the SRAM Neutral Support bike now

The group comes up the hill to get 1 lap to go

Me cranking those Zipp wheels behind Johnny Brown just as he launches another attack at 1 to go

    Here's our video of the morning crit. action:

Video: Athens Twilight AM Qualifier races

     I returned their pit bike and the SRAM mechanics did their best to fix my bike. The wheel was ok other than missing about 10 spokes. The hanger and derailleur were destroyed. I knew I could find a derailleur at a local shop, but derailleur hangers are specific to each model of bike. And Jamis is far from a common brand to see rolling down the road. SRAM had over 100 hangers, but none fit my bike. We began calling local shops with no luck. A local rider recommended we go to Georgia Cycle Sport and ask them for help, so we did. They managed to fix my wheel and get me a used Ultegra derailleur for a cheap price. They could have easily taken advantage of our situation, but they did not. While they did not have a hanger that fit, they did find out what part number it was and recommended two other shops in town that might have one. The mechanic there even tried to make me a custom hanger that would get me through the evening race, but we couldn't get it to work.

     The next shop acted uninterested in helping us. They wouldn't even look at their hangers. We then went to The Hub Bicycles. Again no hanger, but these guys went through about 60 before giving up. We finally made it back to the hotel about two hours before the Finals were set to start. I still had my clothes on from the morning race. We hadn't sat down long enough to let me change. I began trying to make a singlespeed as it was looking like this bike was all I was going to have. Neutral support gives you bikes, but only during the race. You have to start the race on your own bike. I figured I could make something shotty that would get me through a few laps and then I could break a chain and head for the pits. I was desperate to race! I worked hard on the singlespeed idea for over an hour outside in the heat. It didn't work. We tried talking to one of the Pro team mechanics that was putting together bikes in our hotel's parking lot, but he didn't speak any English. My Mom found a shop near Atlanta that had a hanger that matched the picture of my hanger, but didn't have a part number on it. Even if it was the right hanger, I did not have time to drive there and get back before the race. The shop owner did offer to leave the hanger outside the shop so we could check it out the next morning on our way to Roswell.

    It was time to turn to Facebook. I hate Facebook and social media in general, but sometimes it can help you get things done. Shannon posted a desperate plea on my status and within three minutes I had not one, but two offers for bikes! The first was from Eli Wemyss who is from Clarksville. He didn't qualify during the Cat. 4 race, so he said I could use his bike. The second offer was from Mike Edens. Thanks for the offer Mike!

    I got Eli's Cannondale and began changing out wheels and adjusting saddle height. He is a lot smaller than me, but the small frame actually felt good. He uses Shimano so my wheels were compatible. I got in most of my warm-up too. It was a crazy day already and the craziness of Athens was just getting started! Lining up for the race was a mess as usual. They told us to line up in turn 3, then moved it to turn 4 and finally we ended up just lining up at the start line. Some of the officials and even the promoter were a bit too stressed. They asked the group to make a hole so a car could go down the course. We moved and yet the promoter still felt the need to yell at us. He even grabbed one of the Juniors and shoved him. The kid wasn't even in the way. The other riders quickly came to the aid of the Junior. Of course, the officials wanted to DQ everyone that came to the sided with the kid, which was totally backwards. The promoter was being an A-hole and needed to learn some discipline from the group. There was no need for that. He better be glad Athens Twilight is the biggest race around or most of us would never support his event ever again.

    As usual, the Finals were blazing fast. I started in the middle of the pack and dodged the first crash, which happened a mere 50 meters into the race. Eli's bike felt great. The position and handling felt identical to my Jamis. I was very comfortable on it through the turns and with sprinting.

Me riding the outside early on. Eli's black Cannondale looks almost identical to my Jamis. Especially with my wheels on it.

     I was patient early and let things calm down before I moved up. There was a slowing around lap 10 of 20. I moved to the front just in time to see a bunch of vicious attacks go up the road. My heart rate was pegged and I was forced to retreat back into the group, never to see the front again. That effort hurt me and I never recovered from it. I tried to move up with 3 to go, but the bunch was spread out and there was simply no room for me to pass. Holes opened with a lap to go, but by then the pace was full-on at 30+ mph and all I could do was pick off a few riders and not die through the final few corners. I kept Eli's bike in one piece and crossed the line in 41st. That was nowhere close to where I had hoped to finish, but I was grateful just to have been able to race considering how the day had gone. We averaged 27.0 mph for the Finals.

A break off midway through the race

Me still being sneaky next to the barriers in my stinky green clothes. Never did get to change after the morning race. Only changed numbers.

Our Amateur Finals Video

     After the race, we changed everything back to Eli's settings, gave him the bike back and then watched the Pro races. They were both great races. Actually they were some of the best Pro races I have seen here at Athens in several years. Very fast and aggressive from both the Men and Women. Chris did the Pro race this year to check off one of things on his bucket list. I think he checked off two as he also got in a big pro crash. While he may not have had that on his list, it is one of those crazy things you need to experience as a bike racer to fully appreciate the Pro races. He was unhurt and continued on afterwards, lasting most of the race before getting pulled. There was an odd crash with an official that forced a stoppage of the race. A crash had happened in turn 1. The official was trying to help as the pack came around the next lap and they plowed him. The riders could not see around the turn and had nowhere to go. He should have moved and someone should have been signaling the riders that there was danger ahead. It was a mess. Watch the crash below.

     Another view of the crash, including the initial wreck.

     Our Pro race video is posted here:
  

     Watch highlights of the Pro Women and Pro Men below.  

Pro Women's highlights video

Pro Men's highlights

     You can watch the full race replay below if highlights aren't enough for you.

Full race replay

    We got up early Sunday so we could go by the bike shop on our way to church in Sandy Springs. We had breakfast with the officials and the SRAM mechanic. They were swapping war stories from the night before, including tales of the big crash with the moto official. We drove to Decatur Bikes and found the hanger. As I went to compare it to my busted hanger, I dropped half of the busted one and it went into a hole I have in the console of my car. Really?!! We could not see the piece, so we had to unload the entire car to get my bike out and actually mount it to the frame to see if it fit. It did! What a miracle! The crisis was almost over! It was actually my birthday and I could think of nothing better for my birthday than to be able to race MY bike. After church, we high-tailed it to Roswell and I began building up my bike. New housing, cable, chain, hanger and derailleur were installed and adjusted just in time to get on the trainer for warm-up. Lucky for me they were running behind for the races and I was able to relax with my warm-up instead of rush it.

     The Cat. 2/3 race was shortened a bit due to the time delays. I had to start near the back and had difficulty early as the pace was ridiculous fast. We averaged 27.4 mph for the first 25 minutes. I was moving up as the field crumbled behind me. Every time I looked back I was on the back.

Me out of the saddle on the front stretch

Shannon got lots of shots of me today

I am HURTING here. Hold that wheel!

A one rider crash happened early in the race. He was near the front when he went down and somehow nobody else hit him.

Me again

The group is strung out! And the guy to the left may be taking a leak.

     There were only about 40 riders of the original 90 starters left as we saw 5 laps to go. Then there was a crash on the front stretch with 4 to go. It happened up front and busted the group to pieces. I missed the crash, but was hung out between groups. I turned myself inside-out to get to the front group. As I got there, another crash happened at 2 to go. I had nothing left to close the gap again and just tried to grab wheels as people came by. It wasn't much of a sprint finish as the group was strung out all over the course the last lap. I faded as my legs blew up with 1 to go. I finished 33rd with a 26.7 mph average speed for the day. Ouch.

Me in turn 5

In my opinion, the inside of turn 5 is the best place to watch a race at Roswell.

Shannon hovered over me like a drone to get this shot.

Single-file between turns 4 and 5

Me with a few laps to go

    Chris got 2nd in the Masters 45+ race. He may have even won it if some numskull hadn't chopped him in the next-to-last corner and caused a big accident. The Pro Women finished just as a big black cloud rolled over the course. By the time the Pro Men started, it looked like last year with torrential rain. We ate lunch at the Fickle Pickle, which is located right at the Start/Finish line. Then we ran to the car in the rain and set sail for home. I wanted to see all of the Men's race, but I wasn't willing to get soaked for it and drive home 4 hours in wet clothes. It rained all the way home. I am so glad we were able to race before the rain arrived. The weekend was crazy enough without a wet course to deal with.

     Our race video from Roswell is posted below.

     You can also rewatch the live broadcast of the Pro Women and Pro Men's events below. The feed went down during the Men's race, so there are actually two videos below. The second one picks up the Men's race where the first one stopped.

Pro Women's full race and start of Pro Men's race video

Part 2 of the Pro Men's race video

      Thanks again Eli for lending me your bike!

Death March

     It was an interesting couple of weeks right after Anniston. I felt sick for a few days after getting home from Alabama. I was nauseous and weak, but never actually got sick. I didn't eat for two days, which meant I didn't ride either. It was frustrating because I was very motivated after getting in the first few races of the season. I know I am behind with my training and I am ready to do something about it.

    Work was also a hindrance, as usual. I had to drop the bomb and announce I was leaving. I gave them three weeks notice. My reasons were that I had enough of the drama and all the things that had happened over the past year had accumulated too much. I had lost my drive at work and it was time to move on. I kept it short and sweet. Nobody argued with me. It was kind of the "good riddance" attitude at one clinic, but the new clinic I just started at was behind me 100%. One clinic supported me while the other tried to bury me into the ground. Needless to say, training suffered yet again.

    During my week off I bought study materials for our next educational endeavor. I want to get my CSCS, which is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification. I also want to get my Personal Trainer certification, as does Shannon. We have our study books now and have until July 1 to take the exams. After July 1, the format of both exams change. It will involve longer tests and more hands-on testing, which increases the cost of the test and difficulty. Also. they will become two day events, which will require overnight stays if we have to travel. Right now you can take the test on a computer at a local testing center. And there's one about 30 minutes from us in Nashville.

     I decided to get back to training with another attempt on the Death March loop. I started this loop in 2008. The distance then was 104 miles. Then it grew to 113 miles the next year. I completed it three times (once per year in 2008, 2009 and 2010), then came a pair of failures. In 2012, Adam Queen and I attempted it together, but Adam got sick and we had to bail at mile 50. He had stayed up all night working prior to the ride, which was crazy now that I think back to it. But that's Adam. He threw up behind my barn that day. Ahh, the riding memories! Adam is still the only person that has been brave enough to try it with me.

     I followed up that attempt a week later with another failure, this time with right hamstring pain. I had to shut it down at mile 30 with some random pain that lasted only that day. No attempts were made last year because I was being a softie. 2014 was a good year to try again. I actually would like to do it multiple times this year. It is such a great loop. It builds endurance with the distance, strength with all the steep climbs and will with the determination it takes to keep pushing on. The loop gets harder as you go with most of the climbs, including the steepest climbs, coming in the last 30 miles. I haven't even ridden it from our current house, so I didn't even know the distance from here.

     The plan was to start early in the morning, doing the first half alone. Then Shannon would join me on the scooter for the second half. I wasn't going to draft her. She just wanted to go with me and see some of the tough backroads in the area. I left out trying to hold between a 19-20 mph average speed early on. The first half is flatter so you want to get on it a bit to knock that portion out faster or else you will be out there all day. But you have to be careful not to destroy your legs. I had a headwind early so that hurt my speed on the flats. The climbing begins at about mile 50. As soon as I began the climbs I began to get a twinge in my left hamstring. It was not a cramp, but rather that pain I had when running back in February and March. The pain that ended my run training completely. The pain worsened and forced me to bail out as I met up with Shannon. The pain was horrible at the top of the pedal stroke and it was all I could do to get back home. That made three failed attempts in a row!

     The hamstring pain put the fear into me. I did not know what was causing it. I used my therapy knowledge to rule out a few things and ultimately Shannon and I agreed it must be nerve-related. I am tight as can be in my hamstrings. Our theory is that my lack of stretching over time, combined with a week off the bike prior to this ride, just put too much tension on the sciatic nerve as it passes through the distal part of my hamstring. It's called neural tension. Stretching and nerve glides to the area relieved the pain in a day. I worked hard on the glides all week to ensure the pain did not return.

     One week after the failed attempt, I tried again. It was even windier this time. I was riding hard on the flats and could only do 14 mph in places. I was very tired by mile 60 when I met up with Shannon, but the hamstring was good. By mile 80, I had the wind at my back, which helped on a few of the hills.

The gravel section on the loop

     I gave it my all and rode surprisingly well. I even took four Strava KOMs along the way. The hamstring never hurt. I died at mile 98 after a tough climb out of the Sycamore Valley. I struggled the rest of the ride, which turns out to be longer now at 119.6 miles. I had to stop at mile 104 and lay down for a minute. Just crossing my legs while lying down helped drain my legs and they felt much better when I started back. It took me 7 hours and 27 minutes to complete. I ended with a slow 16.1 mph average speed.

Break time

     Shannon had a good time cheering me on and exploring new roads. She has now seen every rough, gravely backroad and every steep hill in the area. I call the short, super steep hills "tombstones." They're small like a tombstone and after riding them all day you will feel as if you have dug your own grave. I am very glad to have finally finished it. I was starting to think the loop was cursed! I will do it again soon. I know I can do it faster. The goal will be sub-7 hours next time!

Getting Into the Swing of Things

    Things have been busy busy lately. We are constantly doing projects, be it at work, with some kind of bike training, building a trail or making a garden at home. We are always coming up with something to do. So don't feel sorry for us when I say we have been busy. Some of the things we do that make us so busy are self-made.

     After studying hard while on our trip to Florida, I came back and took my USA Cycling Coaching Exam. I passed and am now officially at Level 3 coach! The material was good stuff. I knew a lot of the training principles already, but there was some new stuff in there as well. Also, the text had a lot of rules about track racing and paracycling that I knew nothing about. It is always good to learn something about the sport you love.

    I took a week off work after Chickasaw in preparation to leave my current job. I wrote before about how frustrated I was getting there and how after our last meeting there was full disagreement and a lack of respect from the bosses. I began pursuing a new job and found one straight away with a contract fill-in company around Nashville. They provide therapists to local nursing homes and rehab groups to fill in for sick or vacationing staff. It's not a full-time job, but I should be able to get as much work (or as little) as I want. Shannon has been pushing me to cut back my hours and focus on bike racing before I get too old. I have always been hesitant to do this because I am a future planner. I'm all about saving for a house and future family. But I finally see that she is right. I love bikes more than anything and I'm not going to be young forever. So, we are taking the plunge and hopefully it will end up being worth our while.

    The plan for the last weekend of March was to hit the SERC mountain bike race in Conyers, GA. I have always wanted to race on the legendary Conyers course. It was the site of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. But it was not to be this year. While out on a training ride on my trail, I hit a tiny little stick that wedged itself into my derailleur and broke the derailleur and hanger. I had a spare derailleur, but no hanger for the Titus. I would have to special order one and it did not come in before the weekend. So hotel reservations were cancelled and Plan B was put into action.

     The other race options for the weekend were much closer to home. The Hell of the South Road Race was on Saturday and the Cedar Hill Criterium on Sunday. I like the Hell of the South race, but $50 to sign up for the day of the race was a bit too steep for me. The weather was cold and rainy, but I was still interested if it had been $35. I might would have even went for $40. But not $50. I know late fees discourage last-minute sign-ups, but it also costs you a few riders that may have come otherwise.

     I did go to Cedar Hill on Sunday. The race takes place at Cedar Hill Park in Madison, which is just 30 minutes from our house. With the close proximity and beautiful weather, I decided to ride down to the race. It was a great ride down. I got in my warm-up and enjoyed a nice tailwind the entire way there. How often does that happen?!! I did have one hiccup along the way. About three miles from the park a bridge was out on the only road that takes you into Madison. It wasn't just under construction, it was nonexistent. I had to wade across the creek holding my bike. The water was cold, but at least the air temp was warm today as I had wet feet the rest of the day.

     The tailwind got me to the race earlier than expected and I had to wait a while for the Pro/1/2/3 race. We were scheduled for 60 minutes on the 1.5-mile loop around the park. The field was huge for this race with over 80 riders on the start line! I started near the back and had a terrible race. My legs were junk the first lap or two. I pushed through the feeling of heavy legs and began to move up, but the pace was high. The high number of Cat 3s combined with the pace caused an explosion on lap 3. I had way too many gaps to close and found myself off the back at the end of lap 3. I dive-bombed turn 1, completely out of control and managed to get back to the group just in time for the rear of the group to explode again. I had nothing left to close the gap up the next climb and I was popped off. I put it into TT mode and began a solo chase for four laps before getting pulled.

Pro/1/2/3 start line was crowded

Group strung out over the dam after turn 1 early int he race

The group strung out down the finish straight

Bunching up before Turn 1. I'm there in the middle in all black.

The group comes through Turn 1. Again, I'm there in all black, on the inside of the turn.

And here I am struggling to close a gap. This was right after the first group explosion.

     I was out just 16 minutes into the race and credited with 45th. Yes I got 45th and I got popped on lap 4. Only about 30 riders made the cut. I was disappointed because I felt my legs were good enough to be in that group, but I made tactical errors that put me in a place that I am not strong enough to come out of. It was not how I had hoped to debut my new bike and wheels. The most notable thing about the race was that a guy was filming the race using a drone octacopter. It was super loud when you were directly under it. It scared me the first time we came by it in the race. It was like getting passed by a Formula 1 race car going in the opposite direction. Get ready to see more drones at events. Garmin is working hard on one that is affordable to the masses. And you know GoPro will follow suit. I predict the drone craze will be just as big as the helmet camera craze when the GoPro Hero first came out. You can find the drone video here on Vimeo, produced by Vivid Aerials.

Saw a guy filming the race with a drone octacopter. It was complete with a screen on his remote that let him see exactly what the camera was pointed at.

The group bunches up...at least what is left of the group bunches up.

Texas Roadhouse all over the front with one lap to go

The Roadhouse lead-out was perfect for race winner Matt Russell

A few video clips from the Pro/1/2/3 race

    The following Tuesday night, the group at the local group ride in Clarksville had to pay for my anger. I need to work on my intensity and needed to clear some frustration so I hit the ride hard and tried my best to hurt everyone there. I flatted early, but managed to catch the group halfway through the ride with the help of a couple strong guys and then we inflicted pain on everyone the rest of the loop. After Tuesday, it was time for recovery as the next weekend brought the first big crit. of the season at the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, AL. After last year's eventful drive down and nearly missing the race, we left extra early. Traffic was again a problem and we were forced to detour through the northern Alabama backroads, but this time we still had plenty of time to get ready.

    The race went well. We had a big group in the Cat. 2 race. The race was a bit short at only 45 minutes in length, so that kept the pace high. I felt good, but was not strong enough to get to the front and stay at the front. I moved up to the top 10 several times, but couldn't stay there. My heart rate was just too high after the effort to move up and I would have to fall back through the group. My seat came loose too. It first moved on lap 2, then progressively got worse near the end of the race. The nose of the seat was sticking almost straight down at one point. I had to bounce up and down on the back of the seat to get it back to a rideable position.

Cat. 2s on the start line. That's me on the right in the green and black.

One rider off the front on the first lap

Me in the group with Chris Cundiff just ahead of me in the U.S. Military kit

Lots of riders went on the attack today before two riders finally stuck the break

Another attack going up the front stretch hill

Me hiding out in the middle of the pack

Chris third wheel in this line

Now me rolling third wheel

     I pushed my way to the front of the group with five laps to go, but that took all I had. A break of two stayed off the front and we were left to sprint for 3rd. I drifted back with two laps to go, then made a big surge at the bell to get myself in a good position going down the back stretch. I followed a wheel to the front, but got pinched off before turn 3. I knew I needed to clear the rider to my right before the turn, but I didn't have the legs to put in that last pedal stroke to clear his shoulder. I had to check up and slid back in the group. Normally, I would pick off several riders in the sprint, but I could not today. I just held my position up the hill to the line, crossing in 23rd place. I was hoping for a better result, but I gave it all I had. The form just isn't there right now.

I'm in this line, getting a bit closer to the front

I came up the left side of the group here with a couple of laps to go

Crossing the finish line in 23rd, just behind Chris who got 21st.

Another view of me hitting the finish line

    After the race, Shannon and I took our Chris Cundiff and his wife Missy over to Dad's BBQ for dinner. I have known Chris for a long while and really enjoy riding and racing with him. He and Missy were recently married and the more I hang out with her the more I like her. She likes bikes so you know she has to be alright. Dad's lived up to our bragging. Chris and Missy both thoroughly enjoyed the food. Dad's has become a tradition for us when we come to Anniston. After dinner, we watched the Pro races and then headed to the hotel for the night.

     Our race video is posted below. Race reports form CyclingNews are posted here. The race was shown live online through LiveStream. All the Amateur races are available to watch here, and the Pro races are posted here. We had an interesting crash in our race where Will Fyfe flipped off the course into a storm drain. You can't see him flip, but you can see a lot of the crash and me sliding by it on the Amateur video. Good luck finding it!

Video: Our race video from Sunny King

     Sunday brought the Foothills Classic Road Race in Piedmont, AL. The course direction was reversed this year, making for a difficult start. All the climbing came early in the loop. To make things harder for me, the Cat. 2/3 race was no more. This year it was Pro/1/2 and Cat. 3 only. So I had to race with the big dogs for two full laps of the 41-mile loop. The weather was a bit dodgy. Rain showers passed through all morning. We were never in a downpour, but it was almost always drizzling and kept the road wet.
   
     Over 70 riders started the Pro/1/2, including over 20 Pros. The loop was flat for the first 6 miles, then the climbing began. There were three climbs in succession with the first climb being the longest at almost 2 miles in length. The second climb was much smaller, then things got ugly on the third climb. It was not as long as the first climb, but was much steeper. My goal was to see if I could hang up the first climb and just go from there.

Pro/1/2 group ready to start

Very few Masters riders today

Cat. 3 start

Pro/1/2/3 Women start

Cat. 4 start

    We went slow until about a mile before the first climb. We accelerated from 22 mph to 32 mph and actually hit the climb at 34 mph! I was near the back and tried to settle in. The pace was not bad. A few riders went up the road, but the majority of the group was smooth so I stayed on the back. The following descent was crazy. It was my first "mountain" descent in a big Pro field. We were going really fast and strung out single-file for as far as I could see. It really sucks being at the back. You don't even know what's going on up front because you can't see the front!

     The second climb was faster, but I had no trouble staying on the group. The road was really wet as we hit the third climb. I just had one hurdle left to get over and I would surely make a full lap with the peloton. I knew this hill would be steeper, but dang did I ever underestimate it! The pace into the climb was fast so we were already strung out. I had moved up some, but was still near the back. The climb was very steep and it held that gradient for a long way. I could not stand because the road was slick. My tire just kept spinning. I did not have the strength to turn over my gear on that steep of a climb. Me and about 20 other riders came off the back. I stayed calm and tried to accelerate over the top, hoping the peloton would lull just for a minute. They didn't. I began to catch other dropped riders and we formed our own group, working well together until the feed zone with halfway through the first lap. Most of the riders bailed out at the feed. Only me and two others continued. One of them wound up being Rob Evans, a guy I raced with on the YMCA/Sun & Ski team way back in 2001 when I first started racing. It was fun to catch up with him while we finished the loop. We all three decided not to do a second lap. We were way behind and tired of dealing with the wet and cold. I hate taking a DNF, but 46 more miles seemed like a million at the time. And we still had 5 hours left to drive home.

Masters finish with two teammates coming in together for the win

My group finishes up. I am in the back here.

Video clips from the Foothills Classic Road Race. Pro/1/2 start and finish.

    At least I thought it would be five hours to drive home. It actually took eight after we got caught in traffic not once...not twice...but three times! One was behind a burning motorhome on Mont Eagle Mountain. It was a sight to see. I hope everyone got out before it burned. Now we have a few weeks off, then the big race comes around...Athens Twilight!