It's Been A Year

Since this happened.  Why am I smiling?  If I knew what was in front of me I wouldn't have been so cheery.  I had good doctors and The Lovely Wife to take care of me.  I managed to get back on a bike two months post surgery.  Dr. S-works was good enough to putter around with me while I attempted to get my fitness and more importantly, my confidence back.  I used the LW training plans for XC 40+ to give me some guidance and some structure.  They (the doctors) told me it would take a year to get back close to normal, I didn't believe them then, I sure do now.

I don't write much here about family issues.  Suffice to say that this year has been difficult in that regard.  We all come to these things eventually.  Still doesn't make it easy.

Fast Forward

To this past weekend.  My first race since "the incident".  

I wasn't sure where my fitness was.  I was a whole year older, which at 60 makes a difference.  I just knew I wanted to race my bike again.  So I dropped down to the 60 plus class.  I took a little ribbing about going back to the base class and just doing two laps instead of three.

The Race

I attacked early and tried to build a lead.  I had been able to handle these guys in the past (this type of thinking turned out to be my downfall).  So at the end of the first lap I couldn't see anybody behind me in my class.  For some reason I thought the Frenchman had gotten out ahead of me and I was in second.

At 3/4 of the way through the last lap I was caught up in the front of the Clydesdale class.  I just thought "I'll sit up and let these guys go at it".  All of the sudden the Frenchman takes an inside line and passes me, with the Yankee right behind.  "You've got to be kidding me!" I yelled.

I never could get back passed them and ended up third.

The Yankee in first, the Frenchman in second, the Dumbass in third

Anyhoo, turns out I'm not too fast for the 60+ class.  Maybe too stupid, but certainly not too fast.  I had a good race and I'm looking forward to the next one.

The Kid had a good race

   

Finishing up 4th in a very fast class.  I'm super proud of him!