Spring Omnium

The new spring stage race was held this weekend. Friday night was the Highland Rd. hillclimb and for me it was, in a word, ruthless. I've yet to become a really good climber and this race was incredibly hard for me. It was 2,230 ft. of climbing in just over 8 miles with some pitches of up to 17% grade. To top it off, it started raining/hailing very hard about halfway up. We rode right into it and I was able to hang on to a couple of riders that blocked to cold wind and allowed me to recover a bit. I pulled in front of one of the guys I was drafting and just at the last second he came around me and finished just in front of me. I've been thinking of filing a suit agianst Highland Rd. to seek damages for pain and suffering and for pounding me down lower than I've ever been - crushing my hopes and shattering my confidence. There were times on that dreaded hill that I wanted to quit, crawl into the ditch on the side of the road, curl up in the fetal position, and die... but when it was over, I was happy to have finished.

Next was a crit out at Fort Richardson and it was a blast. The skies were sunny and the temperatures were approaching the 60's. Captain E went off the front with a rider from another team early in the race and held the lead until the finish, only to come in second in the drag race to the line. I finished in 8th place just after a horrible sounding crash in the second to the last corner just behind me to the left. The rider was o.k. but probably has some bruised ribs.

The third and final stage was a time trail, also at Fort Richardson. It was two laps of a 4.7 mile loop with only about 100 ft. climbing per lap. I finished in 22:35 to take 9th place and gain 22 more points. Based on the top three finishers for each of the three teams, our team - Team Alaska Waste - took second... and I was able to hang on for 10th place of 24 riders. Big props to Captain E, Heavy D, and The Seaman for their efforts. Go AK. Waste!

Today the Mrs. had a great Mother's Day and we won our soccer game 5-3 (I put one in the goal after my daughter took a shot and it bounced off of the keeper's hands). Another player and I knocked heads. I hit the turf hard and now have a silver dollar sized knot on my forehead that will turn a beautiful shade of baby shit green in a day or two. At 6:00 pm I have to board a plane to Naknek and then on Wednesday I'll be in Dillingham and arrive home Thursday night. Next Saturday is the first big road race out at Bodenburg Butte for our team. Sunday I'll be spending the day cutting trees down in the backyard with my new chainsaw. Have a good week.