The Fun Has Begun...

Base is done, rest week is over, first race is in the books, now the fun begins. It all started with the Tuesday night Titans ride. I got there early and got in a half hour before Todd and Matt rolled in. The three of us rolled out at a pretty fast pace for half an hour. We then picked up fatmarc, E-Town, Rob Thomas, and some guy in a red t shirt that bit off a little more than he could chew. My plan was to try and stay mellow, I was going to just let Todd go, well that didn't happen. My legs were feeling pretty good, so I stayed on Todd's wheel, the faster he went the better I felt. E-Town and Marc were right there as well. After the Judge, we swung by the lot to see if anyone else wanted to play then headed to White Clay. The pace did slow ever so slightly but was still fast as shit. Finally at the bottom of Shock and Awe, Matt and I decided to call it a night. If only I could feel that good at a race some day.





Wednesday night found myself in Downingtown for the Victory ride. Different group but the same mentality, ride as fast as you can for as long as you can. The only difference is the terrain is much less forgiving at Downingtown. Bob led the way at first and set a blistering pace up back to back brutal climbs. On the way down I followed Bob over a big log and managed to stove my front wheel and pull off the my biggest endo ever. After shaking off the cob webs we rolled on.
The top of Mark du'Ez...

.

We stopped at the top of the next climb to re-group and someone wasn't feeling it so we made sure he was OK, in the mean time we lost the group. So it was down to Bob, Rick, the Vet, and myself. Bob kept the pace high but much more civilized.

After our nice ride we made our way to Victory for some recovery drinks, and some wings. I think D Town will be a part of my weekly training, you can't get a better hill work out anywhere around here.

Cheers,
Buddy

And So It Begins...

Yesterday was my first race of the. I am always very nervous going into my first race. Have I done enough training, I am going to get me ass handed to me, How bad is this going to hurt and so on. The first race of the year for me was MASS team relay. The mighty Spot Brand team showed up ready to through down. We had 2 teams for the event, fatmarc, Bob Elam, Mat run Forrest, and myself. The other team was Spot Paul, Fitzy, with special guests, Etown and John. There was also the DCCofD team of Tom Poppa smurf, Jan, Dan, and Rob.

Matt looking Pretty in Pink.

The race format was a four person relay, for 4 hours on a loop that took about 15-17 minutes. I have to say it was a blast but boy did it hurt like hell. There were 50+ teams showcasing there best riders. We were locked into a battle for 5th place with one of the Wild Blues teams. It was coming down to the wire. I was out on our 2nd to last lap when Mike Laub caught me and past me. I sucked it up and refused to get dropped. I managed to stay on his wheel and hand off to Marc. Because the other team had a rough transition Marc got out a couple seconds ahead. He battled with a super fast Junior named Zack, and in the end we ended up 6 seconds behind them. I read Marc's blog and he took the blame, but I was the one that got caught and gave up the lead. None of that really matters though because we all raced hard and finishing 7th out 5o some teams wasn't too bad. I want to thank Tom for bringing the trailer which was loaded with generators, coffee pots, and a giant heater.

I also want to thank the Beans Boys for supplying some tasty Victory Hop Devil.

Today I met up with Les the International Man of Mystery, Elk, and Poz for a little tour of Fair Hill.

After a short loop we ran into Todd and Alan who decided to join us. Todd ended up on the front and the pace got a little more brisk but still within reason. Elk and I were both a little tired from racing the day before, Elk raced in Connecticut. Even though the relay race was short I was still feeling the effects of it. Regardless of the fluctuating pace it was a good ride and a fun group to ride with. It was nice to see Poz, who is always good for few laughs.

I must nap now, so I am rested to have a few beers while watching the Tour of Flanders.

Cheers,

Buddy