Surprise!
Friday night relationship thriller (don't try this at home):
"Uh, honey? I sort of lost track of the race schedule, and I need to go up to LA on Sunday. Can you watch the kids all day? Oh, and I need to go to the bike shop on Saturday, too, to get some parts."
Big race, all the pros, yadda yadda. Would you like me to leave you the zoo pass?
I'd venture to guess that most people who show up at these races have to wheedle and trade their way there. Fifty-two bucks, and I didn't preregister, so I didn't get the In-N-Out coupon.
Racing is expensive, in more ways than one, and it motivates all of us to leave a lung on the course.
The newly dug trails at Bonelli provided lots of opportunities to do so. Jeremiah Bishop, interviewed here after his race, called it "a power course, like Madrid." Yeah, like Madrid.
Six big hills per lap, three laps for Cat 2 Singlespeed. 6 x 3 = 18. I think in Spain there is more wine. And fewer clouds. The pros all had to endure gray skies on Saturday, but the 1, 2 and 3's racing today were treated to weather that befits the course preview picture.
And Colt? I tried to say hi after my race, but you were literally running every time I saw you. I wanted to thank you for the preview. Without it, I'd have shown up with wayyyyy too big a gear. Even with a 22 on the back, I was running as much as you were. Only you have better shoes.
The night before the race, I received my ritual mocking from the bike shop guys when I handed over my 19 and begged for something easier. There was no easy gear at Bonelli. Remember my snide comments about the pavement at Sagebrush? I wanted to kiss the road, today. Yay, spinning!
The downhills were steep, fast, and rocky. I lost one of my two water bottles on the first descent. Ruh roh. I had turned down someone's offer of feed zone support, thinking I had enough on board. On lap two, I actually stopped at the top of a climb and begged a bottle off one of the course marshalls.
I finished that second lap at around an hour and a half. Wait, am I not done? No? But all the guys are... Moly, they were strong.
Back up, back down, up, down. Why does it always feel like more up than down? Doesn't that defy the laws of physics? I think I got carpal tunnel on those descents. Most days, I am way too intimate with the brake levers. This love affair ended badly, because I could not control the handle bars without using all ten digits. A bit more excitement than I'm used to. My kingdom for rear suspension.
Beautiful day, fun course, great people. What more could a girl ask for? (Tubeless tires, and a better wheelset, and lighter brakes and legs like Heather Irmiger and...)
No, I'm happy. I felt really lucky to be out there, at all. (Thank you, husband.)
