It's All Over Now

It sure was a lot of work just to end up in 4th place.  4th in the last race in Helen Ga. and 4th in the final of the Georgia State Series (sport 50+).  Maybe not enough work?  My strategy for the race was simple, just to follow FRSS, maybe zap him on the final lap.  It didn't quite work out like that.

Helen is climbing, lots of it.  It had rained hard right before we got there on Saturday which made the downhills even more of a challenge for my sight in lap.  I noticed none of my closest competitors rode on Saturday.  I might try this next year, you know, save some leg for Sunday.  Anyhoo, there was a mandatory creek crossing that you were required to dismount and walk across.  Combine that with an already soaked trail and I felt like a wet dog by the time I got back to the truck.

Sunday morning was hot and clear.  I started right behind FRSS; Santa and Clydesdale were in front.  First Clydesdale dropped a chain.  Then FRSS jumped past Santa about half way through the first lap. As he passed Santa and rolled off over the horizon I started to get a bad feeling.  I could still catch glimpses of FRSS every now and then so I decided to fall in behind Santa and see if he could pull me along.  See, I didn't stick to my plan.  But there's a reason.  I was heaving, my legs were weak, so I developed this new strategy.  Follow Santa and hope he pulls us back to FRSS.

When we came around through the scoring chicane at the end of the first lap, I passed Santa and could see FRSS going down the hill in front of me.  Back to my original plan.  But wait, for some reason I was having trouble catching FRSS.  Then Santa goes around me. Crap, now I was having trouble keeping him in sight.  Typical, I had brought 45 minute legs to a 120 minute race.

To make matters worse Clydesdale caught me close to the end.  I had nothing left.  I really couldn't have gone any harder.  Santa caught and passed FRSS for the win.  And just like that the series was over. 

The kid got second in the race and ended up second in the series.  He was pumped, and so was I.

I'm already planning for next year, it looks like I will not have to move to expert so I'll get another shot at sport. 

I enjoyed racing with these guys and hope they will excuse the nic names. 

I'll be 57 by the time we race again.  Is there still room for improvement or have I reached the top?  Will it be all I can do to just stay even?  Maybe a new training plan? 

And last but certainly not least I want to thank my lovely wife for going to all these races with me, sitting in the hot sun just to hand me a bottle of water, and telling me it doesn't matter what place I get just so long as I had fun.  And I did have fun, I really did!