lance-like

Race Report: Opus #6, May 23, 2006

Well, I didn't race for a week and a half after that time trial, and on top of that I didn't even ride my bike for five days, and on top of THAT I went running for the first time since the stress fracture incident in January and it made my legs sore, so I was not exactly in tip-top racing shape for Opus last night. Plus it was HOT. My Texan teammates thought it was funny that I thought it was hot, but we're not in Texas and it was 40 degrees last week, so 83 is hot.

Yes, those are "excuses" you see.

And then most of the Fast People&trade showed up too. (Someday I will be a Fast Person&trade too, dammit!) I think the total number of women was 16, although I also heard 18 from somebody. The whole thing busted up on the first sprint, and I found myself off the back with a lot of slower people in between me and the rapidly disappearing lead group. I got around most of them, but then I was tired, and then I found a couple of my teammates so I thought "Oh, here are some teammates, I'll just ride with them." So I did. We also picked up a girl from Idaho and the four of us worked together to try and catch the lead pack. Every time we went past the start/finish, somebody yelled "Way to work together, ladies!" I think it was one of the officials, actually. And every time, Maria and Alix and I cracked up, much to the bewilderment of the Idaho girl.

About five(?) laps from the end we caught Penelope, who had stuck with the lead group longer than we had but who had been floating in no-man's-land for a while. Right as we got to her I picked up the pace a bit to see what would happen, but she wasn't tired enough for that to work so I slowed back down. The five of us kept rotating together until the end of the second-to-last lap, when lo and behold, there were riders ahead of us! They were pretty scattered, so I thought the pack must have blown completely apart (there were only ~seven of them to begin with), but I figured at the very least I could move up a couple slots if we caught them. But the other four weren't going. Fine then, I thought, I'll do it myself. So I attacked from the back of our group to try and bridge to these others. It went great. I got to look all fast and stuff in front of the finish-line crowd just as the bell rang, and I quickly caught my targets......

........only to discover that they were lapped riders. D'oh! But I figured what the hell, less than a lap left, so I put my head down and kept going. A minute later Alix pulled up next to me and said something that I couldn't quite hear, which I interpreted as "Get on my wheel, I'll lead you out!" Alix, if that is not actually what you were saying, I apologize. But I decided to roll with it, so I got on her wheel, and she pulled for the last half lap. I was the first one to jump when we approached the line, considerably later than the sprint usually starts when the whole pack is there. It's nice being in charge! Going later meant that I didn't have time to fade, not that it mattered since I had at least two bike lengths on the rest when I crossed the line. For what, I'm not sure. Seventh or eighth, I think -- I think there were six or seven in the front group.

The best part was the Lance-like crust I had all over my mouth and chin by the end. I told you it was hot. And yes, I do realize that crusty mucus is probably the only way in which I will ever be Lance-like.