phat cash

RACE REPORT: DAKOTA TECH CIRCUIT RACE SERIES #2

I skipped #1, but y'know, that's what it's called.

Not a lot to report on this one. It's a four-week series, every Tuesday, on the Dakota County Technical College's driver's ed course, which means curvy roads with no curbs or hills. I couldn't go last week because I didn't have a bike (and today again I don't have a bike, because last night was the GT's last hurrah. Poor GT). It was windy and 90 degrees, and I showed up without water, but Marti and Julie (who are probably going to start hiding when they see me if I annoy them much more) were kind enough to give me some. Whew.

There were only seven women at the start line, including the local big cheese Teresa Moriarty, who races with the women just to warm up for her later races against the men. Our race was eight laps, and for about the first six Teresa and Shana sat at the front chatting, and nothing happened. I was starting to get bored enough to contemplate attacking just for something to do, but I thought I had a chance at third so I didn't want to waste my energy on a pointless attack when I knew Teresa and Shana were so much stronger than me anyway. So I sat there and stayed bored. Finally Teresa and Shana accelerated enough to whittle the group down to four, and the final sprint came down to Teresa and Shana fighting for first and second, and then me and a 15-year-old named Missy who was in her first race. She hopped on my wheel when the sprint started, so I was stuck leading her out and I didn't know how to get her off my wheel. (Tips, anyone?) Oh well - all I could do was hope I was enough stronger than her that I could still beat her even with the lead-out, and as it turned out that did actually work and I got third by about 3/4 of a bike length.

Which meant prize money - told you I was going to quit the day job - presumably in the amount of $5.00 since that's what the 4/5 men got for third place, but I wanted to go home and when I asked the guys at the registration tent when I was going to get my phat cash, they laughed at me and told me some story about empty envelopes. I interpreted that as "don't hold your breath," so I just went home. Maybe they'll save my five bucks for me and I'll get it next week. Whatever.

Before I left I put my bike in the Silver Cycling trailer to go to Hollywood Cycles, where Jay "Hollywood" Henderson himself is going to dismantle it and put all the components on a brand spankin' new Salsa Campeon frame for me, which I will get fitted and take home tomorrow evening if all goes according to plan. Yippee!


In other news, the scale this morning said I weigh 117, which is eight pounds less than yesterday, and I didn't even do any meth! Neato burrito.

Wonder if there's a warranty on the &*%$# thing.