Uni-Fall!!

THe close of the 07 season brings with it a note of weariness, some whining, and a hefty sigh of relief.  I have already whined to you about the rigors and stress of my first season, "abroad"  Now, I can move on to providing the refreshing notes of enthusiasm and sarcastic tendencies that permeate the mind of yours truly...

I finished myself off at the Univest GP in Philadelphia last weekend.  I went into the race more relaxed than USPRO, understandably so, no pressure here, especially after JV and decided that I had extended my season longer than I had already planned.  Unfortunately for some of my excellent friends and family, I would not be attending the Tour of Missouri.  No matter, I could now make plans to see them without the stress and absentness of a stage race.  A definite plus.

To sum up a bad day, about 60k into the race there was a k-long hill that topped out the last 500m at 22%, I was able to get over the top of this first with the strong legs of my teammates and initiate what we had hoped would be the group that swallowed the breakaway and put us in position to win the race.  As all races go, this turned out like no one expected:  I had just been dropped and was on the radio encouraging my teammates who had just driven a 30 rider-split to a minute or so gap, when the guys who should have been in front of me came up from behind shaking their heads and cursing the luck.  They had been led straight through a right turn, and had to flip a U-turn to get back on course and effectively bringing all the dropped riders back into the peloton....We were not out of it completely and it turned out that the break was strong enough (thanks to Timmy and Will) to get to the finish circuits far enough ahead of the group that the entire field was pulled to allow the 17 guys or so that were up the road to duke it out....Will took the well-deserved win from 30k out and Timmy was fourth, a beautiful day despite the race's unwillingness to stick to normal, one-day race procedure.

 The next day I stuck around for the crit that was to be the final race for me of the season.  All was going better than expected, the field was a little more tired from yesterday than we had planned.  A nice surprise.  I was off the front going for a prime and found myself and two other with the biggest gap of the day....they couldn't talk, much less pull-through so we were swallowed back up and two laps later I rolled my rear tire in a tight, fast right-hand corner and went sliding into the curb.  I sprained my right wrist bad enough to warrant x-rays and a fresh batch of road rash...what a way to end it!!  As I write this I am lounging at home oozing from numerous wounds that cover my ass and lower leg.   The third time this year.  I will emphasize that you never get used to large, surface area abrasions of the skin, especially in the hot shower where you sometimes have to steady yourself from passing out as the water sears the nerve endings.  Ah yes, the lighter side of cycling, sliding naked on asphalt at 60k an hour. 

Recover, relax, and heal.  The next few entries will hopefully enlighten the few of my readers about the off-season, the agony that slowly sets in from feeling gulity about eating and NOT riding, and the activities that spur the all-important mind-rejuvenation.  Preparation for the next two-wheeled adventure.  THanks for reading.