Socal League; Beach to Boulders at Perris, CA
Seeing as this was my first ever varsity race, I was extremely nervous and apprehensive as I was preparing to begin this race. My only solace in a never-ending sea of anxiety was my trusty Harry Potter book. Without it, I would have been subjected to the ever-notorious pre race diarrhea that plagues so many racers.
Starting the race, I knew that I had done all that I could to prepare for my race: I washed my bike, ate my pickles, had an unfathomable amount of garlic bread (because everybody knows that the amount of garlic bread consumed is proportional to the speed at which you race). But anyways, I was as ready as I would ever be.
The first lap was a full-out sprint with everyone battling for the optimal position into the descent. I got into the descent at around twentieth place, which was not good, so I knew that I had to push my way through the masses on the sand. It was unlucky, however, that I developed a cramp going through the feed zone and I had to stick in with a group until i could breathe again. The second and third laps were where I made ground. I was in a group of four or five guys and we all worked together to catch the guys ahead of us, pass them, and drop them. By the end of the first lap, I sat in 16th,and at the end of the third, I was in 11th. In the fourth lap, we caught up with the lead group(minus the top three guys), and this gave me a new surge of adrenaline. Everyone in my group surged, and Travis Claypool and Jonah Dinger broke away from us on the climb in an attempt to catch the lead group. I was sitting in the back of the group of three and I knew that now was the time to make my move. I pushed ahead and nearly sprinted the last half of the climb, and by the end of the descent, I had made nearly a 20 second gap from them. Now my goal was to catch Travis and Jonah. I got close throughout the sand pits but I just couldn't catch them and I finished the race alone in eleventh place. This kind of bummed me out because my goal was for top ten and i was so close, but the vibes back at the tent were so jubilant that I couldn't stay sad for long.
This race made me realize why I race even though it is so stressful and causes me so much anxiety. Through the pre-season, I questioned myself a lot because there was really no reward to my suffering, but after this race, when I could see how far I have come since the last season, That made all the suffering worth it. Although I didn't meet my goal, I am still very proud of myself. But maybe I should have eaten one more piece of garlic bread.
I would like to thank all of my sponsors for my performance in my race. The new ultra light Kenda tires I got really made a difference. My Rudy Project glasses and helmet were so comfortable and the glasses never fogged up. My Scicon bag made it so much easier on race day because I could find everything with ease and keep it all organized.My Ellsworth Bike never fails, and looks so beautiful. And the Gup bottle gives me assurance that if something goes wrong during the race, I will be fine.
Starting the race, I knew that I had done all that I could to prepare for my race: I washed my bike, ate my pickles, had an unfathomable amount of garlic bread (because everybody knows that the amount of garlic bread consumed is proportional to the speed at which you race). But anyways, I was as ready as I would ever be.
The first lap was a full-out sprint with everyone battling for the optimal position into the descent. I got into the descent at around twentieth place, which was not good, so I knew that I had to push my way through the masses on the sand. It was unlucky, however, that I developed a cramp going through the feed zone and I had to stick in with a group until i could breathe again. The second and third laps were where I made ground. I was in a group of four or five guys and we all worked together to catch the guys ahead of us, pass them, and drop them. By the end of the first lap, I sat in 16th,and at the end of the third, I was in 11th. In the fourth lap, we caught up with the lead group(minus the top three guys), and this gave me a new surge of adrenaline. Everyone in my group surged, and Travis Claypool and Jonah Dinger broke away from us on the climb in an attempt to catch the lead group. I was sitting in the back of the group of three and I knew that now was the time to make my move. I pushed ahead and nearly sprinted the last half of the climb, and by the end of the descent, I had made nearly a 20 second gap from them. Now my goal was to catch Travis and Jonah. I got close throughout the sand pits but I just couldn't catch them and I finished the race alone in eleventh place. This kind of bummed me out because my goal was for top ten and i was so close, but the vibes back at the tent were so jubilant that I couldn't stay sad for long.
This race made me realize why I race even though it is so stressful and causes me so much anxiety. Through the pre-season, I questioned myself a lot because there was really no reward to my suffering, but after this race, when I could see how far I have come since the last season, That made all the suffering worth it. Although I didn't meet my goal, I am still very proud of myself. But maybe I should have eaten one more piece of garlic bread.
I would like to thank all of my sponsors for my performance in my race. The new ultra light Kenda tires I got really made a difference. My Rudy Project glasses and helmet were so comfortable and the glasses never fogged up. My Scicon bag made it so much easier on race day because I could find everything with ease and keep it all organized.My Ellsworth Bike never fails, and looks so beautiful. And the Gup bottle gives me assurance that if something goes wrong during the race, I will be fine.
And the hollow pin KMC race chain that your dad helped you install helped the drivetrain run smooth. ;)
ReplyDeleteWe are very proud of you, son for having the grit to push through the pain and work your way to the front of the pack. You had a great start foe the 2018 season. Love you, bud!
ReplyDelete