I raced on Saturday in Medford out by the drag strip. If you've read my earlier posts you know that I did a couple of races there last spring. That's when I learned that a drag strip goes uphill at the end. The hill is still there. The course was mostly on hard dirt with loose gravel on top. It started down a little hill and then alongside the drag strip in dirt. Then it went onto the drag strip and up the hill. It was a pretty good climb. Very tiring. Vern had added the hill at the last minute before our race started to spread out the field and make it easier to score. After the uphill it was, suprisingly, downhill for a while. The downhill was on pavement so it was fast. Then it went up a slight hill to a runup with a barrier at the top and then a steep, short drop. Then it zig zagged around in the field to end with a couple of barriers. I got ahead of several people during the first lap but then didn't catch anybody until the last lap when I passed a guy in my age group who stopped to add air to his tire. During the fourth lap my rear tire felt really low and when I looked at it I thought it was flat. I pulled into the pit but found that it had just lost pressure. I thought it would be okay so I continued without changing it. I must have picked up a Goat's Head thorn and the Stan's sealant held. I'm glad I added the Stan's. I did have to slow down on the pavement section as I was afraid I might roll the tire off.
It was a good race. I worked hard and finished near the middle of the B class, 14th out of 21. I think I need to warm up harder and start harder. I get behind at the start but then don't lose a lot of ground. I'm always thinking about next week and next year. Then, all of a sudden, I'll think "wait a minute, I'm f***ing OLD. How many more years can I do this shit?". I guess I'll just keep doing it until I can't.
I found this picture of Lillian at the SSCXWC race in Portland this weekend. I bet she had a good time.
I raced on Saturday in Medford out by the drag strip. If you've read my earlier posts you know that I did a couple of races there last spring. That's when I learned that a drag strip goes uphill at the end. The hill is still there. The course was mostly on hard dirt with loose gravel on top. It started down a little hill and then alongside the drag strip in dirt. Then it went onto the drag strip and up the hill. It was a pretty good climb. Very tiring. Vern had added the hill at the last minute before our race started to spread out the field and make it easier to score. After the uphill it was, suprisingly, downhill for a while. The downhill was on pavement so it was fast. Then it went up a slight hill to a runup with a barrier at the top and then a steep, short drop. Then it zig zagged around in the field to end with a couple of barriers. I got ahead of several people during the first lap but then didn't catch anybody until the last lap when I passed a guy in my age group who stopped to add air to his tire. During the fourth lap my rear tire felt really low and when I looked at it I thought it was flat. I pulled into the pit but found that it had just lost pressure. I thought it would be okay so I continued without changing it. I must have picked up a Goat's Head thorn and the Stan's sealant held. I'm glad I added the Stan's. I did have to slow down on the pavement section as I was afraid I might roll the tire off.
It was a good race. I worked hard and finished near the middle of the B class, 14th out of 21. I think I need to warm up harder and start harder. I get behind at the start but then don't lose a lot of ground. I'm always thinking about next week and next year. Then, all of a sudden, I'll think "wait a minute, I'm f***ing OLD. How many more years can I do this shit?". I guess I'll just keep doing it until I can't.
I found this picture of Lillian at the SSCXWC race in Portland this weekend. I bet she had a good time.
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