As the crank turns… tales of life on the rims

KAWOR Stage 1 – Monsters of the Midway (MoM)

KAWOR - Kick Ass Weekend Of Racing.

This weekend was to shape up to be one of the first big race weekends of the year.  I had 3 races already registered and could add another 2 depending on how I felt.  I knew I wasn't ready, but what's that adage: "I'll race into shape."  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...anyway.

Monsters was shaping up to look good.  I was actually feeling strong this week.  I had a bit of an unplanned break coming into it and it was enough  to help me feel really good.  I was kind of looking forward to how I was going to do.

I got there in time to see that Eric Blankenship of the ReCycling Team who said he rolled his tire and dragged his tubular rim across the pavement.  Checking it out it dawned on me, "oh yeah, this is the race where there are some seriously fast and hard wrecks.  I forgot."  That started working in my head.  I have had this weird feeling for a long time during races that I have been due to hit the deck.  It's strange because when I get that feeling during a race I relax and this calmness comes over me.  It doesn't check up my riding at all in fact I think it makes me smoother.

I was on the trainer and warming up - an infrequent occurrence for me but a good thing because if I can actually swing it I do MUCH better.  It sucks being old.  Anyway - I saw Bob.  This would be the great and wonderful Spongebob Beverly Bike Pants Murray.  "Beverly Bob".  I thought, "Oh, hells yes.  I am not in shape, but today....I'm going to kick Bob's ass."

We finally got lined up and ready to go.  Same nerves as always.   Bob ended up right in front of me and Tony Rienks.  I had that opportunity to tell him I was going to kick his ass today.  He mentioned something about me being fat.  I felt the love for sure.  ;)

Race started out like normal.  Sketchy and timid like a bunch of kids at prom wondering if they were going to get lucky or just crash and burn.  I will have to say I have never seen so much turnover in a race.  It was kind of crazy.  You can usually say, "if you're not moving up you're moving back", butthis was ridiculous.  The front to back and back to front movement was so intense and rapid you could change field position from both extremes 2-3 even 4 times during EVERY lap.

Cat 4 racing around here has kind of turned into what pro racing is with race radios.  Everyone has read up what they "should" do via the internet and listening to their now "knowledgeable" elder statesmen on their teams.  As a result you end up with a swarming throng of skittish masses constantly moving to the front only to sit up and slow everything down until they get swarmed by the next mass.  A lot of people call it negative racing - let's sit around and try to be 10th wheel until the sprint, but it's racing and it's what we have.

Within this mess is a few of us elder guys that are perpetual cat 4 pack fodder that try to offer up some advice here and there to help keep things a little bit safer.  I personally was having a ton of fun.  I found the race pace fairly easy  - although I think we did shed a few guys - and ended up talking the whole race.  It's either that or I end up zoning out - turn.shift.accelerate.shift.setup.turn.accelerate.....-which can be a dangerous thing.  I started yelling things like, "hey that guy is really fast someone should chase him down" with no target in mind, etc.  Fun stuff.

Yes - I hate when people complain about the goings on in a pack of cat 4 or cat 5 racers.  Duh...by definition it will be that way.  Accept it or upgrade.  I have to admit though that at Monsters I was getting a little fed up with the braking before and in the corners.  At least one hairy legged rider from a team I won't mention except for their initials "WDT" was changing lines in every corner like some of my customers change their minds on nipple color.  Between that and the huge adjustments he was making to small movements in front of him I found myself  within personal hygiene proximity to him on more than one occasion.  At one point after someone else grabbed a handful of brake in turn 2....seriously...in turn 2 - I finally yelled, "Guys!  No one should have to brake in the corners but if you do - grab your brakes like you would a woman - nice and soft".  Upon reflection - most of that pack was filled with a lot of young meat.  That concept may have still be foreign to them.

With 3 laps left as we came down the front straight and approached turn 1 I made a loud announcement to the pack which was all together - "There's 3 laps left.  Everyone is felling really twitchy right now.  Ride safe and heads up.  This course is known for big wrecks.  Let's try to avoid that." - of course in late race oxygen debt this was probably paraphrased.

With two left on the back straight it happened.  I could see it about a depth of 8 riders in front of me two guys leaned into each other hard.  I don't know if that was the first thing that happened or not, but I heard what sounded like a bunch of, "Arrrrrrrrrgh", "NO!!!", "UUHHHHH!"s followed closely by the sounds of carbon, brakes, tires locking up, carbon hitting aluminum hitting asphalt, etc.  It was a slo-motion domino all the way back.  I caught the tail end just as I was almost stopped and/or around.  Same as Sherman park last year - I saw the last guy in front of me slide more and more my way - ending with me riding over his wheels and going down.  I know I didn't hit that hard - so get up and go.  I heard a sigh come from somewhere and knew that wasn't going to be good.  There was a lot of groaning and bitching like usual.  Tony Reinks was down and started to get up and bark orders to everyone proving his elder statesmenship within the cat 4 peloton hierarchy.  "If you can get up then get up!  Help the others that can get up to get up and get off the road.  Get out of the way if you can they are going to be coming around soon."  His authority was so commanding I half stopped as I was mounting up to finish to help pull people out of the way.  Tony gets the "PSIMET level headed awesomeness award of the day".

As I start to ride away I see the damage immediately - Shifter bent in, saddle pointed up and twisted.  I rode the last lap and a half that way....standing.  It sucked.

After the race it was a rush as I bent the saddle back, re-leveled it, and pushed the shifter back.  I had to adjust the shifting as it was now out of whack as well.  Opened the brakes as the cable tension shifted - must have moved the shifter as well.  I was ready to go when we got the signal that it was going to be hurry up and wait - there was an ambulance out there.  Someone must have broken a collarbone or something.  The only good news out of all of that is.....I beat Bob.  Even through the wreck.  I hope you're OK Bob....but a victory is a victory. I'll take it.

I was shotting the poo with Andrew Zens from Spidermonkey in between races.  We were recounting all of the stupid shiz that had just occurred - along with his string of bad luck including the last lap curb-CAAD bending event at Vernon -"Chainring Tatoo on the back" - HOLLAR!  It is then it dawned on me we were going back out there....but this time with 5's in tow.

This was going to be the first time I was racing with a bunch of my 5's on the team.  I didn't actually see them much during the race though.  :( - not sure why- maybe positioning thing.  I rode the second race well.  Power was lower but the pace seemed a little more driven to string everyone out.  What WAS annoying was the myriad of newbs calling out the bump/ditch on the back straight.....every.....f'n......lap.  After a few laps I started saying, "AMAZING....IT'S AT EXACTLY THE SAME SPOT IT WAS LAST LAP!"  Some others started joining and towards the end there was as much of a chorus of us as there was "bump" callers.

The final lap was looking OK but I was definitely out of position.  By the final turn I was too far back to try to do anything for sure, I went and put a few heavy pedal strokes in and then sat up.  I know better but I did anyway and watched as I lost 10+ positions to guys who were burning to the end.  Meh.

I had other things on my mind - Stage 2 of the KAWOR! - Wheels on Willy.  Report on that later...