Monday the 26th I took my "Go Fast" bike to work it would be the first of 4 days the commuter bike would be neglected. The messenger bag was called to duty, packed with a big lunch and I rode to work in my team kit. The commute to work has always been shared with a variety of people donning their bicycle team's jerseys. Today I would be one of them. The "Jeep Affect" was apparent less than a mile into the lake front path. Team xXx racers, of which there are many, would pass and nod or hand signal as they would pass my Half Acre adorned torso. Through out the day I felt I knew something that everyone at work had no clue about. I split work early and rolled out onto the lake front path and immediately met up with a guy named Brandon from Team Pegasus who was also riding down to Calumet Park for the crit racing. Having only been to the park once it was a godsend for someone to lead the way. Once registered with the number 128 pinned on my back I took some revolutions on the course and realized how cold it was and the sun was still going down. With the pre-race warm-up completed I lined up next to some teammates on the start/finish line listened to the race official's safety talk and then the whistle blew. What happened next is now one of my new favorite sounds, all in unison for a second and a half a field of 40 racers clipped into their pedals. The race was on. The first turns were unnerving but I fell into a rhythm and began to understand the ebb and flow of the race along with how fast the races really are. 30 mph was not uncommon. Then I heard my new least favorite sound. There was a wreck right behind me. It sounded like a garbage disposal trying to grind up a fork. It is not a sound I want to hear up close if you know what I mean. A few laps later one of my teammates, Ross, was right beside me with some nasty road rash where pieces of his jersey and shorts used to be. Clearly he got wrapped up in the crash and caught back up to the field, what a monster! The last laps came along with tiring muscles, however I found myself in the front of the pack and I didn't want to be there so I slowed my pace. Unfortunately as I did this the pack sped up and I did not have the gas to keep up. I fell back and finished by myself in the bottom half of the field. The rest of the night, now humbled, I volunteered with the rest of my teammates to marshal race corners and help out with tear down or the course. Teammate Ian offered to drive me home which was a great way to recap what each of us did wrong. Both disappointed with our race we agreed tomorrow would be better.
The next day was more of the same but with a carb heavy lunch and lots and lots of fluids all day long. The weather was perfect and I got in a solid warm up. Once the race started I kept to the inside corners and dug a little deeper, breathed like there wasn't enough air the atmosphere to fill my lungs, and stayed on the wheel of my teammates. As we rounded the last corner, I caught the inside and it shot me ahead of some strong riders. I sprinted like a maniac for the finish. Ian got on my back wheel and I pulled him to a 6th place finish and as I crossed the line I had grabbed the 8 spot. Flying pretty high the conversation on the ride home was all positive.
Day three was cold and I had dressed for warm and I felt it was the fastest race of the series. The course was also reversed so we were now making right turns. This changed the dynamic in one huge way. The stretch to the finish would be a 60 yard straight away. I stayed as close as I could but I just couldn't keep up. I swear I was pulling 30 mph just to keep the field in view. I found a rider from Team Tuxedo Thunder that was struggling with me so we made our own pack and raced against each other which made for a fun sprint between the two of us. The results put me in the middle of 40 racers for the night. Thankfully I had some friends to cheer me on that night as it gave the night some extra meaning.
The finale of the series was the best yet. It was the coldest night and I dressed better and warmed up with pants and a jacket on. The pace was perfect. The course was familiar and my jitters were at a minimum. Breathing went well, I took my corners smart, and all of us Half Acre Teammates were in a blue train at the front for a half lap. Feeling good as the final lap cowbell rang I tried to corner wisely and as the final turn came I was on the outside which I would have thought was a bad move but I had a wide open view to the top 3 sprinters so I sped up and started my sprint. Unfortunately the finish line was misjudged by about ten yards. As is topped out on my sprint no longer able to accelerate I held my pace as Ian passed me. It was an exciting finish that I felt good about. Ian checked the standings and came back with a big ol' smile on his face. He placed 6 and I placed 7 with fellow teammate Sean in at 8.
This bike racing stuff is a blast but chilling with the team is really where its at.
Check out the photos here and official news and standings here
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