Back at it

It was nice to be back racing again after several weeks off. Year four at Indian Lakes Resort was the best yet in terms of course, conditions and fun. Saturday, there was a strong thunderstorm about an hour before the men's 1/2/3 race that left the course wet and slippery.

Scott and David at the first barrier
All  photos: Paul Davies

By the time our race began, it was bright, warm and sunny but the course was still soggy - the perfect combination.

Mike making it look easy

The wet grass and mud meant it was hard to put the power down, which was good for me since I didn't have any anyway!

Mike and Mumford on the hill - just a bit too slippery on Saturday to ride all the way to the top

I made the most of all the twists and turns and managed to secure 4th place.  Meanwhile, my teammate Mike Hemme was riding very smoothly and putting in devastating accelerations on each short straightaway. I'm sure he was working very hard, but he made it look easy as he rolled in for his 4th win of the season.

SRAM engineer David Reyes (Bloomington Cycle Racing Team), meanwhile, made up a lot of ground in the 2nd half of the race, passing me in one of the strong headwind sections like I was standing still (I was, more or less). He kept it going and finished an impressive 2nd.

On Sunday the sun and especially the wind dried out the course so it was just slightly soft and tacky for the elite race. My legs were useless but I had fun trying to carry as much speed as possible through the numerous off-camber turns. Up front, Mike Hemme and David Reyes were in a huge battle with Brian Conant and Kevin Klug of the Pony Shop and Kevin McConnell of Mercy-Specialized, visiting from Iowa. Mike, unfortunately, had a loose cleat which made it nearly impossible to clip in, or once clipped in, to clip back out again and lost contact with the lead group. I was too far back after a few laps to say how the race went for the leaders, but in the end it was Brian, then David, then Kevin. Nice job, guys!

Chicago's pro-level UCI races will be back at Indian Lakes Resort in a couple of months. I'm hoping to find some form between now and then and I suspect Mike and David will both be tearing it up. I am sure it will be as much fun as last year.