So begins the bike racing season

No doubt things would have been  different had riders from Southern California been present.

I left a comfortable warm bed containing a hot wife at 7:00 a.m. in order to race a bike in cold blustery conditions against other men afflicted with Peter Pan syndrome.  I am clearly not right in the head.

I arrived at  an industrial park in Pleasant Prairie, WI, just off Hwy 165 in plenty of time to register, change and sit in my car to stay warm.  30 min before race time I ventured out of the car into the cold wind and rode, wearing two base layers, bib knickers, leg warmers, arm warmers a long sleeved jersey and a thermal jacket.  It was plenty.

27 men and one woman in the masters 40+ race.  45 minutes.  Lap one guys tried going fast at various points some succeeding more so than others.  Dr Jones took a flyer with a few guys lined up behind and as we hit the 20 mph head wind that plagued the back stretch of the course, I attacked firmly and was away with only the Spaniard, Ricardo Otero to keep me company.  I cajoled the Spanish sprinter to take a pull or two to which he indicated he could (would) not and suggested that he was more than happy with second place so long as I did not attack him.  Knowing him to be a man of integrity, I obliged and gave him a ride to the field, which we ( I ) lapped in only 17 minutes.

Once we caught the field I attacked around them. The Spaniard elected to remain with the field and I finished the remaining 28 minutes of race time alone, lapping the remainder of the race…some of them as many as three times.

Immediately following the 30+ guys lined up.  At the whistle, the guys were a bit more anxious to start fast and away we went.  As it turned out the efforts were short lived as most of us upper Midwest types have been suffering through a fitness killing winter.  Around about lap 3 a rider from Wheel and Sprocket, John Acker was off the front with a couple of guys chasing.  I was 3 wheel to the chasers.  They were making no progress so I jumped around them and closed the 50 meter gap to John and we were away.

I attacked John hard with 5 laps to go and though I’d succeeded in getting clear of him.  He was 20 meters behind me and I knew if I got to the back stretch head wind section with a 20 meter gap that I’d be gone.  John also knew this and to his credit, he turned himself inside out and got to my wheel just as I hit the back stretch.  Once in the back stretch I hit him again but he was back after a half lap.

At this point I was done and as he is a fast sprinter and I am not, he won and I took second.

So it goes.  I cannot say I am displeased with the way the season has begun.