It has been a while since I've posted, so here is my latest report. I did the Carpentersville CX race, but unfortunately I wasn’t as prepared as Ted. I took a 17 day road trip through Europe after finishing a respectable 2nd place in the Jackson Park Cat4 race. The Euro-Trip included stops at Oktoberfest and several more liters of beer through Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium (I understand CX originated here, but I only went to enjoy their brews), Holland … oh and Liechtenstein!! Apparently lots of drinking and only 1 day of biking during that time was not a good training plan.
Fast forward to Carpentersville … I watch Ted race and chug a few bottles of water trying to hydrate myself, it was almost 80 degrees and very windy. We line up at the start and I’m already parched just standing there. The starter yells “GO” and I’m already buried behind 30+ other people hell bent on redlining and blowing themselves up by the first barrier. (Can we please get some callups and staged starts?) Crap! Halfway through the first lap I’ve managed to work my way past most of the field, but the contenders that I recognize have already ridden away. Crap Again! I’m following a Turin rider who seems to be riding stronger than me, but I’m catching him in the transitions and sand pit. I eventually pass him, but there is too big of a gap to catch the next two riders ahead of me. I hold on for 6th place and another jug of power gel (I’ll be stocked up through ’09 at this rate, winning one at Jackson Park too).
I felt really weak in the second half of the race, and was watching the guys behind me more than focusing on the guys ahead of me. I now realize how much fitness I have lost over the last three weeks and I’m now hell-bent on regaining it. How much can I accomplish before Bartlett and St Charles? We’ll find out.
Congrats to Aspen for another strong 3rd place and Devon for continuing to dominate the Women’s field and then stepping up to race again in the Men’s Cat3.
Until next week…
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