2 Down

Saddledancer here again. I was able to do my 2nd race of the season last night at the Tuesday night series out at Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA. We really have had a wet 2009, even for the Pacific Northwest, with 45 days of measurable rain or snow to date. I will gladly train in the wet and have ridden in horrible conditions, but I draw the line with racing. No need to risk crashing, especially now that Iam unemployed and without real insurance (story for another time).
Anyway, I did my second race of 2009 last night. The 4/5 field was smaller than last week with around 30 or so riders. We went down what is called the Escape Route, which is about a 300 meter long straight steep descent followed by several uphill rollers. The total course is just over 2 miles long.
We only raced for 37 minutes which was a bit disappointing, but I couldn't complain as I had a free entry due to an earlier cancelled race (due to weather). It was a very slow pedestrian start and we were caught by the 1/2/3s on the second lap, definitely a first. No real racing occurred for the entire time and each lap was a series of yo-yos. We did lose some riders off the back due to conditioning but the field remained relatively whole til the finish. We were not allowed to preview the course since there was a women's racing clinic before our race, so I had no idea what condition the escape route was in. It has had several unrepaired potholes and this year is no exception. I wanted a clean line so dropped off the back each lap as we entered the escape route (bad crash in 2006 when I hit a pothole). I then dragged my rear up to the group during the subsequent uphill rollers. Each lap was pretty much the same and I finished around halfway through the group. I was bit disapppointed in myself for not attacking when the group slowed, but I was happy to get another safe and fun workout in. I also talked to a couple of riders about 53x11 coffee which was quite cool. I am the sole rep out here but do not feel alone. I also hope to get out to the Cycle House some day soon.
Enough for now. The weather has improved and so have my spirits. Be safe and keep the runner side down!
Ty (aka Saddledancer)