Oredigga' part duex

Sunday dawned bright and sunny, and my legs were aching from the 85 mile donut ride the day before. the box of sake from Saturday night helped me get a good nights sleep, so i couldn't complain. I slapped on some new race rubber and jumped in the car for the oredigga'.

this course, while being dubbed a circuit race, was pretty rippin--pulling laps in just under 3 minutes. So it felt more like a crit. I jumped off the hood of my car into my skinsuit and warmed up on the trainer, feeling less than optimal, but stoked on the tight, technical course taking us through the scenic, if architecturally disjointed, school of mines campus.

I roll to the line and check in with the posse. Ryan and Horacio are feeling pretty tore up from big Saturday rides of their own, but are pinning on numbers to get some stage race practice. We line up when called-- a bunch of lycra-clad white boys tap-dancing their way into the street. i score a front row seat. Then the dude tells us to take a practice lap. From watching the collegiate race just before ours, I know that some kid got hauled out by the medic on the "practice" lap, so i get my game face on. Horacio does the same, and gaps the field on the practice lap. Action is hot and heavy at the front, as I jockey for position. Horacio nips the field at the line, and we both take notes to show up for the "practice-lap-podium-and-awards-presentation" immediately following the event.

Horatio hanging tough:

the gun goes off. Horacio is out like greased lightning, and i get to the front for the first downhill. The pavement on the downhill is rugged and off-camber in most spots. I imagine I am driving the car from hardcastle and mccormick through the set of robocop. my theory from years past holds true that cat'4s cannot corner or descend, and i effortlessly slide off the front on the downhill. however, the correlary of that theory also holds true, and i effortlessly slide back into the back on the uphill.

Rob in the lead group:

by lap two, six minutes into the 45 minute race, we are strung out like a runway model*. I hang onto some sort of lead pack, and we shell out guys every climb. I literally cannot stand riding my brakes through the downhill, though, and i slip off the front, only to be re-absorbed in a few minutes. I can tell the legs do not have it to try to make something stick.

Rob ripping some corners:

So, I patiently wait for the one lap to happen when i cannot hang on with the surge on the climb. Sure enough, with about 6 laps to go, I get ejected to no man's land. I have one other rider to suffer with, and we make an attempt to stay close to the lead. It is futile, even though we make time on the downhill, the uphill is just burning us alive. I look back and see ryan valiantly bridging up to me, and we ride together for a couple laps, until he slips past me for the 10th place spot at the line.

Ryan haulin' ass in for 10th:

I come across just behind him in 11th, with a few people on my wheel.

The afterparty:

All in all, not bad for any given sunday.


Nice work to all of you who put the hammer down at the Koppenberg!

*quote credit to Dave Towle.

Over and out.
Marty & Rob