An End to Summer

Summer has come to end as of yesterday.  I am both sad to see it coming to a close and happy at the same time.  The days are getting shorter which means riding with lights and soon the cooler weather will be pleasant.  The summer did not meet the expectations that I set forth this spring.  Spring was going well.  Fitness was at a new level.  Racing was going well, I felt I was getting better with each race.  Then in late June I crashed viciously at Greensfelder almost leaving me unconscious.  The next four weeks I scarcely touched the bike.  The crash had sent my fitness and confidence, especially downhill confidence, in the crapper. By late July I was back riding a couple of time a week and decided to make a new debut at Rapture In Misery.  This 6hr race had been on my mind since last year.  First place last year left me wanting to defend.  This trip to Trenton now turned into survival.  Goal: Ride all 6hrs and finish.  I did that with much pain and cramping in the legs.  I cramped off and on for almost 5 hrs that day but stay determined enough to finish.

6hrs in the book and I was cooked.  St. Louis racers had a good showing.  Z and Busken came in first and second in the 12 hours solo competition with Mashor being 3rd.

The next race I went for was the Jeff City Single Speed race at Binder Lake.  I was the first guy who signed up that actually brought beer.  I joked with the promoters about having a class for back of the fast pack or solo rider.  I find myself always riding alone in races like these.  Not fast enough to keep up with the fast pack, but faster than the not-so-fast group.  So I signed up for not-so-fast.  I took first place by a couple of minutes and finished somewhere in the top twenty overall.  It was a fun day on the bike and good practice for the Tall Oak 6hr that would be held at the same venue Labor Day weekend.

Feeling better, I set my goal on Tall Oak 6hr as a chance to get through a race and not cramp.  Overall, things went well and I spent a great deal of time on the bike and only felt like I was going to cramp near the end.  Todd Holtman pulled me through the last couple of laps when my mind was starting to give out on me. I owe him a big thanks for that.  I think I finished around 12th out of 30 or so.  My times were almost identical to last years times and the lap count was the same.  I came to the conclusion that I was at the same point fitness wise as last year.  I am finally catching back up after my summer crash.

Time has been spent recently on the Ozark Trail and at Council Bluff Lake.  The ICCC race is being held this weekend and Burning at The Bluff will be on the 9th of October, followed by The Berryman Epic.  The season is coming to an end soon.  My season has not gone as planned but that is life.  Injury and all around bad luck are part of the sport.  I just keep riding my bikes knowing that I would  rather not be doing anything else.  Here are a few random pics from the summer.