Gloucester was freakin amazing

Saturday

I felt really good, but started 75th. I had a slow start and found myself being a little timid about shooting the holes that opened up on the opening sprint. I made it off the pavement in possibly a little worse shape than where I started. As we hit the first few turns then the sea-wall, I had already passed about 15 people. I was making steady ground for the next 3 laps. Teammates were yelling that I was in the top 40 on the 2^nd lap, and in the top 30 on the 3rd lap. Then as I round the steep section around 3^rd base disaster struck as I felt my rear tire roll. I screamed for a wheel in the pit. I considered running my bike, but then I thought to myself “This is Gloucester… I’ll kill a rim if I have to” and rode most of the lap (very slowly) back around to the pit. By this time I had to be in DFL. I had a quick wheel change and decided to put everything into making some ground back up. I finished in 76^th. And I really believe I would have been top 15 had I not flatted.

Sunday

My stomach was doing flips. Maybe it was all of the beer that I had drank the night before. Or perhaps it was the meat that I had eaten after being a vegetarian for 7 years. Maybe it was just nerves, but I took about 4 Hershey dumps before the race. On the starting line I chugged a VitaminEnergy to try to get some sugars and fluids back into my system. I got a decent start this time, despite starting in the 70’s again. Another racer in front swerved 3 feet into my front wheel. Cross tires rubbing make a scary noise, but we were both OK. I gave him a brief “hold yer line, buddy” and passed him. After the opening sprint, I made little progress on the first lap until the seawall. I took the outside line and passed 10-12 people. It was awesome to make that much progress so early. I made it up to about 35th by the second lap. I joined a few other riders that I have done a lot of racing with (including a couple of old BRC teammates and Jordan from Cambridge Bicycle / Igleheart). We were joking with each other, working together, and really having a great time. With 3 laps to go, someone yelled “2 laps to go”, so I kicked on the after burners, and decided to chase down a group of 5 that had a 10 second gap on us. I made it up to them surprisingly quickly, and decided to ride a wheel for a minute. Then I got sloppy and put my bars into a stake on a corner and rolled down the 3^rd base hill. I recovered quickly and was back on the group’s wheel by the finish of the lap. Then I realized I had 2 more laps, and feared that I wasn’t going to have the strength to hang on to the finish. I made a couple of passes just before the sand pit on that lap, and found myself at the lead of the group with 1 to go. I pressed on, chose good lines, and finished clean-- uncontested in the sprint.

My goal was top 20, so I’m really pleased.