DO OLYMPIANS SUCK WHEEL?
WHEN HE ROLLED UP TO THE START LINE, I felt pretty deflated. Not gonna lie. It's hard to get excited about racing an Olympian and mega-time National Champ...
... what could possibly go right?
Turns out 50 miles of gravel racing provides many opportunities for the tables to turn.
Starting with clearing the first summit in a pretty descent position.
Behind the leaders by a few minutes, I was feeling ok....
... but, that quickly would turn into a few more minutes lost.
Ripping the very rocky descent I punctured the front wheel.
Dangit!
In denial, I rode another half mile until it was quite clear the tire needed air.
Would I need a plug?
Or worse, a tube?
I had plugs,
not a tube.
not a tube.
Rookie Mistake #1:
- I had to fish out air and nozzle from my mini-bag.
On raceday, I usually have one canister ready to go in a jersey pocket.
Since the tire hole seemed to have sealed...
... I rolled the dice, and added air without shoving a plug in.
It held.
Nice!
Coming around the turn for the start of the 5 mile long KOM climb...
... I could see the champ had also flatted.
Poor fella.
Do you need anything?
I hoped the answer was No.
Yeah, I can be that way.
About 3 minutes later he flew by me.
Not surprising.
I pressed on.
The ensuing long, very rocky downhill, was followed by 10 miles of pavement.
The smooth, black stuff never felt so good.
Due to my 2x drivetrain, I was able to catch and pass a number of riders.
Where I witnessed, Rookie Mistake #2
- Not downloading the route
- Going off course
I did not make that mistake.
Some did, like the guy who was now chasing me.
Again!
I hoped he didn't see me...
... stomping the pedals as hard as I could.
It wasn't much this late into the race.
The finish line was near, and I thought I had a chance.
He's got to pass me soon.
The suspense was killing me, I looked back...
... there he was, tacked on to my wheel.
Really?
I couldn't believe it.
An Olympian on my wheel - lol
Nature finally righted itself...
... he easily pedaled away when it got steep.
The point of all this is what really racing proves...
- never give up
- always be prepared
- there's always a chance luck will favor us
... it's the fastest racer on a given day who wins.
===
163.5
7.5 hrs
No strength work.
0 minutes recovery
0 minutes reading + Journaling
7.5 hrs
No strength work.
0 minutes recovery
0 minutes reading + Journaling