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photo: andreas vogel

candlestick point, san francisco
2006/10/22
elite men
37/45 [49 starters]
'mates: funke, aron; brett, rich, and matthias on the blinglespeeds

a chinese wedding banquet saturday night left me well fueled for this race. feeling over-laden was more of a concern, but no matter. the close venue and earlier start made it easier for me to manage nutrition, and i felt spunkier than last week. got a fine warmup and course preview. i'm liking the faster, smoother 'stick compared to past years. pilarcitos' labor towards these ends is not taken for granted by me.

this seemed like the most chaotic start and first lap of the season so far. perhaps due to the extra 10 or so starters. lots of slowdowns in the first lap, just tryed to go with the flow. mistakes were made my many (myself included), and it's all a bit of a blur.

headed out onto the second lap on the approach to the first double berm up and over, i was behind a small group and someone a couple riders up washed out on the first rise. i hoped it would be an opportunity for me to make up some spots, so i got off and ran. got around the downed rider and several others by running up the left side, taking the hairpin sharp, and running up the second rise. sweet, free spots.

i stand by that strategy. unfortunately, my luck ran out there. i was still in a good deal of traffic when i remounted at the top of the second rise, but i remounted with my hands on the tops, no where near my brakes. i was still hard on the left for the descent of the second rise, but there was a rider at the bottom apexing the hard left turn. i didn't have time to get my hands to the brakes, so my options quickly became lay it down, or t-bone the rider at the apex. i layed it down. it was a fairly soft landing on the dried grass. i probably slowed some people down who i had just run around, but no one came down on top of me, so no harm no foul i would think.

i guess some would disagree, as a particular seafoam crustacean let out a snarky comment suggesting that maybe i should go back to the b's. now come on, that's just not helpful! nor warranted, since not a half lap earlier, the same minty malacostraca had stacked and brought aron (at least) to a halt in the, ummm, dodgy tangle. which is why he was slumming it behind my alleged noobishness in the first place. anywho....

i got back on and tried to shake it off. i seemed undamaged, and the bike was functional except my right brake lever had been pushed in about 30 degrees, but it seemed to be working, so i soldiered onward. i think dean from buy-cell offered up some kind words, but i was too preoccupied taking inventory of the damages to respond. i guess i'm not much for the small talk mid race, nothing personal. i should say hello to that guy sometime. we went back and forth a couple times in the next couple laps but eventually i found myself alone time-trialing it.

the rest of the race was pretty uneventful, and i managed to ride fairly cleanly despite the cockeyed lever. it was in a great position for shifting in the drops, but not much else. so i tried to practice riding in the drops. i had one minor washout on the long sweeping grassy corner at the start of the lap just after justin lapped me, but that's because i was trying to follow his line at his speed (oh so briefly) and didn't compensate enough for the traction ramifications of that.

so, i was happy enough with my placing. maybe could have gained a position or two without those two blunders and the ensuing recovery time. the 'stick does get better every year and i enjoyed the challenges of the course even though they got the better of me a couple times. live and learn. the races there get better every year but i can't say i'm upset to only have one race there this season...

thanks to julie for coming out to the race and giving me water. props to funke and the three blinglespeeders for their podium finishes.

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