Hollow...

Chequamegon was partly successful this year in that I didn't go down like I did last time, but my result stunk!  Someone almost took me down by grinding their front wheel against my shoe and pedal (before we even hit 77!).   I am not sure what they were doing but I was going straight.
I started in a fine position near the front, but by the time we hit Rosie's I was probably 100th due to my caution after the little wheel grinding incident.  I passed ~60 people in Rosie's and was in a very long line but was way to far back in the front group.  At some point there was a split and that was all she wrote... the rest of the race I plotted along in a group until Fire Tower, passed most of them there, and rode the last 10 miles solo.

Me at the top of Firetower Hill not happy w/ how the day was going...although, that climb is definitely the most entertaining part of the course that is left.

I had a inkling that it wasn't going to be a good day, as my legs have felt pretty hollow since that stretch of racing that ended in Maplelag.  When I say hollow, I mean I just can't seem to access the high end power and intensity.  For the most part I have avoided a "bad race" this year until now, so I guess I was due=)  Either way, the weather, the scene at the finish, the Freewheel party (thanks guys!!!) and test riding a new Superfly 100 on the Ojibawa trail behind Telemark lodge all made it worth the trip. 

A couple hours after the race I took my dad out on the Makwa trail for a while...he loved it.  I could not come to the Hayward/Cable area and miss out on the sweet mountain biking!  Late afternoon we settled in on a deck of our family friends beautiful lake home and enjoyed bacon wrapped fillet medallions with a couple adult beverages.  That took some of the sting out of my poor result.  

I may do a couple more races if the weather is nice, but my body, family, and brain are telling me to just ride and get that snow bike built!


Cheers!


P.S.  Come on Lifetime, this is not cool:  “Our thought was, like him or not, doping or not, allegations or allegories..."
http://singletrack.competitor.com/2012/09/news/lance-rides-on-armstrong-to-race-in-crested-butte-this-weekend_35152
Doping of any kind, legal supplement or not, - HGH, EPO, testosterone, etc - is NOT ok at any level of any race and you should honor any USADA sanctions.  I am not for or against any one rider, but a clean race and level playing field should be paramount for any race organizer or promoter.