A Brief Hiatus

I'm in the midst of a little racing hiatus. Mother's Day weekend didn't have anything on the schedule, and I'm chosing not to head to Rolla for Hellbender this weekend. After the hecticness of April, I'm enjoying a little slower pace. It's also giving me some time for weeknight racing and long weekend rides.

I love the weeknight racing scene in St. Louis. It doesn't get any better than Tuesday Night Worlds and the Goldberg Heller Festival of Speed. My passion for racing was ignited last year by the Wednesday time trials. Until I started going out there, I liked racing, but I didn't have a drive for it. It was something about the laid back atmosphere--everyone wants a great race & fast time, but there's a different feel than the weekend crits. I only did one Tuesday night last year, but from the several I've done this year, it's the same way. It gives the shy social butterfly in me a great outlet :)

I had a great race this past Tuesday. I got my first fit on my road bike. (It only took me how long!) Mike does an excellent job of making sure I'm comfortable on my two-wheeled girls. My goal for the night was to stay with the pack for the entire race. My first Tuesday I held for three laps and jumped out for one. Several weeks ago I held for about nine laps before I sat one out. I wanted to be in it for the long haul this time.

The race started out great. I was in a good spot in the pack and the pace was reasonable. I moved around a lot on the bars, seeing how everything felt with the new stem and seat placement. Everywhere felt great. We hit a prime lap for the women--didn't even think about going for it. My goal was to ride a smooth, solid race and stay. About halfway through I fell to the back of the pack and had to work to stay on up the hill. I needed to get myself back in the middle to make it easier. I looked for some good wheels to grab (thanks, Amy!) and got back in there. Around 23 minutes in we got the bell for the men's prime. Oh, hell! Now it's gonna get crazy! Breathe, find a wheel, get in your drops! Around and up and back to the line and I was still in it. Let the countdown begin...if I made it this long I was staying. 3 to go, 2 to go, bell lap! Woo Hoo! I didn't have any energy (or business) to even think about the sprint but I made it. I even drank while I rode. It's a small victory, but an important one to me.