At least it wasn’t snowing!
It has taken me until Tuesday to summarize Sunday’s race. In a mater of days I went from thinking about race strategy and when I might plan an attack with Chevy to wondering why I wasn’t home in bed recuperating. A severe chest cold has knocked me on my backside. I woke Sunday morning at 1:57 AM looking at the clock and wondering if it was possible to feel any worse. The little guy on my shoulder was saying to blow off the races and try and recover for the next time. The guy on the other shoulder was saying how strong cyclists are and that racing with a cold is no big deal. I listened to the later, as the other one seemed a little gay.
I paid my $30 bucks signing up for the 45+ and Masters 4/5 races in Sheboygan. After 22 minutes of feeling like my lungs were being stabbed repeatedly, I pulled out of the 45+ race. I was done for the day. It was only the first race of the season, and I now have two weeks to recover and fight another day.
Since I drove up with Navigator, I was at least looking forward to watching some good racing. I changed out of my racing kit and put 6 layers of clothing on. I was still cold, but I was warmer than some of the guys at the starting line waiting for the gun to go off.
The Master 4/5 race went pretty much as predicted, A-train off the front on lap 1 with two other riders. They would stay away for the rest of the race. Chevy had some cleat issues and missed the break. He was at the front for the entire race, only to be passed by wheel suckers in the last 100 meters; a typical Master 4/5 race. I vow to get healthy and with Chevy make those wheel suckers pay as they watch us ride off on a winning break, race after race after race.
The Master 1/2/3 race was extremely exciting. Otis, Navigator, Chef, and our very own Scoots were among several riders making their Cat 3 debut. Also, Ecky was officially announcing his comeback from the knee injury from T-boning a deer almost two years ago.
The race was fast right from the start. Conditions were ugly as it started to rain too, and the roads were covered with a thin layer of dirt that was only evident afterwards by the rider’s faces; the riders looked like they just completed Paris-Roubaix.
It started early, maybe lap 4 or 5, and Ecky was moving off the front on the hill coming up to the finish. Johnny V and Halvy were in deep discussion on the front as to whether they should cover the move. They did, along with one other rider, as the next time around the 4 had a 15 second gap on the field. Their efforts paid off as the gap increased to over a minute. Then Halvy along with the other rider opened up a small gap on Ecky and Johnny V. That is the way it would play out for those four. Ecky looked strong and finished 3rd, looks like he is back to form.
Meanwhile back in the pack, with about 4 laps to go, Scoots was pulling hard coming up the hill. I yelled for him to make his move. He did and pulled away from the rest and stayed that way for the balance of the race to take 5th. Scarecrow who had been biding his time took 8th. A great day for the Master Elite guys of Team Wheaton, 3 in the top 10!
My consolation for feeling so bad was I was able to watch some great racing and see some good team tactics.
Hang on; it is going to be a fun season.