Nationals RR

After the TT, we ate at the buffet at the host casino, Ceasar's Horseshoe. Decent buffet for a decent price. By the time we're done, Kay & Jeff are just packing up the tandem. They've managed to repeat their bronze medal...beating those who beat them last year but new competition snuck in ahead of them. Still a good job!

After chilling for a bit, we drive over to check out the road race course. It doesn't look good for me at all. The car is down-shifting on the hills....bad sign for a non-climber whose just buried herself in a TT. Oh well, do it anyway. The park is beautiful and the course is in decent condition for the most part.

Get there with lots of time but can't get focused. Don't want to get on the trainer. Walk over to Wendy who should be on the course but isn't. She decided to be a DNF instead of DFL. The opposite mentality of mine. I can't bring myself to quit, no matter how badly I'm doing. She can't stay in if she's not in contention. So we know ourselves and act accordingly.

Eventually I roll around some, but not a lot. I ride to the start line when there aren't any racers coming through and wait around to see how it goes. Leslie Jennings finishes 2nd in her race. They send the 40-44s off and call us to the line. Then have us stand around for 7 minutes while they get confused about whether or not we're all on the line. Tracy (Huber) Tolson shows up with fresh legs. We look at each other and know who is going to win the race.

I make it through the first lap without getting totally kicked, but that's about it. The climbs are for climbers, not for sprinters...and my legs are too damn tired to push the big ring up them to keep up. Oh well. Maybe fresh legged I would have done better. Still I finish, riding with two other women who both ride away from me on the climbs on the final lap. Such is life. No surprise Tracy did indeed win it.

Hopefully the crit will be good.... but I'm finishing this up on crit morning and it's raining. Rained a lot overnight but the radar picture looks to be clearing so should be done raining and well into drying up by my 12:15 race.