Waking up at 6:00 am ain’t so hard anymore. Age has its benefits but after taking 3 years off the race scene I realize that I am a bit rusty at the small things. I packed most of my crap the night before so you’d think the rest would be easy. Wrong - gotta eat, need more coffee, need some water to negate the coffee, where in the hell are my cycling gloves? Small things we don’t practice come back to haunt us by making us complete idiots.
I pick up Jimmiez and Pam around 7:00, we throw the bikes on top of my wife’s aged Toyota Camry and away we go – St Louis bound. Jim’s newer car broke down the night before so we are forced to take the Camry. The old Camry has been through biking hell and back. It’s ran the full gammit of travels. East coast, west coast, bikes on top and sweaty assholes inside. This car deserves a great funeral when it gives up the ghost, at least a 12 pack of Miller salute. We pull over just out of town so I can make sure I have my shoes. I told you I was rusty at this.
Jimmiez is an old friend of mine. I’ve known him for around 15 years. Going to races with him is preferred. He carries a good conversation and takes my moronic bullshit well. He pitches in for gas and offers to drive the car – you never have to ask. We chat about politics, religion, racing and life. Sun’s coming up in the west, Jimmiez is waxing eloquently and Pam just poured me a cup of dark and strong coffee. If we run out of car oil, we can get by pouring this stuff down the oil hole – good stuff.
We pull in to the race site. We register, change and roll around a bit. I bump into a few people who I know; Russ Murphy, Adriane Murphy and Jerry Fonderine but for the most part I am a stranger to racing again. It’s been over 3 years since I’ve traveled to a race. Vague smells, little sounds, old sensations and a cool spring chill bring back the beginning for me. But just a bit. Nothing is as good as when it is brand new to you. The magic of things wear off as you get to know it better but allows you to remember just enough to keep you going.
The master’s race goes well. Jimmiez and Jeff Chattin (CBC rider) launch a couple of early attacks so I can sit back and get a bead on the field. It’s a 45 minutes + 2 lap’s event with one big ring climb and a couple of tight corners. I get gapped on a couple of turns early due to lack of practice. I make a mental note to get those corners down and in a hurry. Letting your self get gapped in crit will bring some un-needed pain. A prime goes up for the field and Sam Moore(Big Shark) takes it with me and Tracy Smith (Big Shark), right behind him. We have a gap, I make a choice and away we go. Sam and Tracy can’t pull as hard as me. I look back and see Jeff and Jimmiez at the front of the field – blocking away. I do a large chunk of the work and we get away. Once we put some time on the pack, I ease up a bit and get Tracy and Sam to work, they do. Tracy is a Columbia boy that wears the St Louis colors. He suffers like a dog and makes some weird sounds up the hill. He’s a pretty boy but a real racer through and through. With about 4 laps to go I attack them at the top of the hill right into the head wind. It’s a good attack but not enough. Sam pulls Tracy back up to me. I try another hard pull up the hill hoping Tracy will drop. He doesn’t – too bad cause Tracy can sprint and that’s how the shits going to hit the fan. I get Sam to pull the last hill and he jumps me at the top but I get his draft. I come around him with about 100 feet to go. I feel good but Tracy’s coming around. I win by an inch. If the line would have been a foot further down the road, I would have taken second. Tracy’s goes off and throws up in the parking lot. I told you he could suffer. We both have another race to do at 2:00 – the Cat 1, 2, 3 race. I watch Pam Hinton easily win her race. She’s going to be tough this year.
Tracy and I line up and I have to ask him who to keep an eye on. I’ve only been gone 3 years and the field is not familiar. Tracy points out a few guys to me and I make some mental notes. My job this race is easy in plan, tough as hell in practice. I work for Arjunna “pack dropping” Flenner. The boy is strong and has already won the first race of the year, The Froze Toes. He’s our best chance.
The race starts real fast with Big Shark pushing the pace early. I get up in the top 10 and camp. One of the Long John Silver guys gets up the road with another rider. If the pack knows one thing today it’s “there will be no successful break without a Long John’s rider”. I ask Arjunna if he wants me to bring it in. We let the break go, it’s too early. They get caught and my real work begins. I launch an attack so Arjunna can keep a bead on the pack. I get caught, sit in for a bit and go again. This is my job for this race and it hurts like hell, I cover a few breaks and a prime is announced. I pull Arj up to a couple of potential prime grabbers and Arj launches at the top of the hill and wins the prime. I move to the front in order to let Arj recover after his effort. I wait a few laps and make another jump. I’m tired and it’s some weak ass shit I throw at the pack, but it’s enough. Arj counters and gets away with Sam Moore (Big Shark) and Brian Java (Long John Silvers). The break is away and the pack is unorganized but fast. Now my job has changed from softening up the pack to slowing it down. I sprint for the turns and hit the brakes. I stay at the front, about 3 – 4 guys back blocking the way for potential work horses. The Long John guys do the same thing. Staying at the front in this way is hard. It’s easy to allow yourself to fall back in the middle and rest but you won’t do your teammate any good back there. If Tracy Smith can puke and race, so can I. He’s my motivation at this point.
With about 20 minutes of racing left, Big Shark makes the decision to pull in the break. Tracy Smith, Josh Johnson and one other Big Sharker move to the front and drop the hammer. It’s a tough call for the Big Shark riders, they have a guy in the break but he’s not strong enough to win. They have one guy, Joe Hill, who can win the race and he ain’t in the break. They pull the break within 17 seconds. Those guys worked their asses off but the break stays. Arjunna wins, Brian Java gets second, Sam Moore gets 3rd, Tracy Smith gets 10th and I get 11th . Joe Hill wins the field sprint easily for 4th place. Good thing the break didn’t get caught.
This was one of the better races I’ve ever done. CBC is looking fine this year. I’ve got some great team mates on the master scene and Arjunna is one of the finest Cat 1 racers I have ever seen. I have no problem laying it on the line for him. It makes me proud that most of the people in contention today are either from Columbia or done their time in BOCOMO. Arjunna Flenner, Brian Java, Joe Hill, Tracy Smith, Josh Johnson, Pam Hinton, Jim McDonald, Jeff Chattin. Man – we aim to drop and puke around here.
Fish.
