summer marches on

I followed up my 5-event night in K-town with a good old fashioned parking lot crit. Fortunately, the lot is in the shadow of Soldier Field (on Bastille Day, no less), and without gas money and a cross-state drive, everyone comes out a winner, even if there is pretty steep pricetag for this one. We're not doing a lot of road stuff this season, so it was rare to have a big squad out there. We daydreamed of delivering Jannette for the win, but the pace was hot and little gaps came everywhere in the field.

The legs were shattered so I wanted to add to the team cause early, laying down a hard pace. Turned out that a couple more gifted and rested (cat 1) cyclocrossers did the work for me, so I just did my best to stay near the front. I went all in for a t-shirt prime and with that, I was ready to punch the clock on my camera time. Luckily Jefferoi Perkuins was nearby and moved up to third wheel.

I knew I was to be dropped, so I let it happen slowly, over a couple trips into the wind on the back stretch. At least make a couple of legs suffer to close that gap. Max and Mike came around in one of those swarms, and they did a little soft-pedaling near the front, and with that, Jeff was In The Break.

Amazing, I tried to make a break happen 27 times last summer. Jeff races two crits a year and gets in one.

No fancy tricks, just plain old wheelsucking, and bam, he attacked with half a lap remaining, and took the win. He wouldn't post up or even write it up, but fortunately a picture means a thousand words.

Andrew followed up by killing the 'virtual' one mile climb up Mt. Ventoux in under 4 minutes, the record of the day by nearly 40 seconds. Nico's first road race. Daryl's our good luck charm, he races about three times a year, and we seem to win on the days he shows up. Sadly we'll have to relocate to keep that streak up, as he's about to move to Stockholm. Good times overall.

Fast forward to Kenosha, for my last little track tune up before the three day Allvoi Cup.

eh.
cat 4 unknown = 3 laps total. Lame. I tried out this thing I've heard about, "patience" they call it - it backfired, and I finished in shitth place.

Masters' 4/5 unknown = ONE lap. As in, blow the whistle, ring the bell. Super lame, but at least my premeditated attack looked clever and I held off for third.

Cat 4 Snowball - Brian and I got a gap and I tried to give this one to him (I wanted his help in the mini-main event), but he faded and I took top points in the laps seven and eight. Win.

Mini-main race: pfffft. I was tied for first coming into the final points lap and I screwed the pooch. I was the only one attacking, and it seems like there are a half a dozen Kenosha teens that love to sit in. Our three man break would grow back to six or so, and nobody would even take a decent pull. I should've been a bit smarter in the last couple laps, but as a wiser man once said: Racing is a battle between who you are and who you want to be.