banana belt #3

cold, windy as hell and pissing rain. i woke up feeling a little under the weather after not being able to sleep very well and i stayed that way for the majority of the day. i hitched a ride in a giant land rover with an even bigger trailer full of bikes from david godfrey and the landrover/orbea cycling team. when we got there, i contemplated not racing for a good 20 minutes, then started to get ready. i almost left my phone in my jersey pocket, but knowing it wouldnt survive the downpour for the next 55miles, i ran back and threw it in my bag. as i turned around, i saw my field rolling out in the distance. i chased on and began the suck fest.

a break went off early in the first lap and got a good minute on the field pretty quick. the next lap people were eying each other to see who was gonna do what and making half assed attempts at getting away. i saw what looked like a pretty strong group forming mid way thru the 3rd lap and i bridged across. there were about 8 of us to start, but quickly whittled down to 5 and we were taking fast short pulls running away from the field in a hurry. we kept on the gas for a good 25 miles or so. my lack of sleep and health started to kick in and i battled it gel and water and just tried to imagine this all being over soon.

we caught the 3 rider break with a lap (11 miles) to go. nearing the end 2 riders lit it just as i was put in a little box. i got out and thought about chasing, but they were pretty well gone, so i bided my time for a few more seconds and the at about 500 to go i charged hard and finished in third with a clean set of wheels. dont let that picture fool you. it was absolutely pouring rain the entire race and know i feel even more sick than i did before the race.