When we woke up this morning and flipped on the local news, the weather radar showed some pretty bad storms headed our way. Sure enough, by 9:30, Tulsa was being ravaged by hail and sustained winds of 50-60mph. After the storms let off, we went to drive down to the course & find out what the race schedule would be like. When we arrived, the place looked like a war zone- tents had been blown over/apart, limbs and debris were everywhere, and a powerline was strewn across the road on one part of the course. An official told us that everything was canceled, and that it would take far too long to get the course cleaned up enough to ride on, and it was possible that more storms were headed our way.

Bummer! The course looked tough- it featured a long, somewhat steep climb as well as a decent that led into a hairpin turn to the start/finish stretch. I was really looking forward to testing my climbing legs up against the sprinters who had outrun me the last two races!

Even bigger bummer- I just looked at the website, and they actually had the mens/womens pro races as scheduled… WTF?!?!?! Only 28 finished the race- I guess a lot of other racers talked to the same mis-informing official as we did.

On the way back to Memphis, Ryan and I stopped at Nick’s BBQ and Catfish in Carlisle, AR. It’s quickly becoming a staple part of our road trips to/from races further west. If you’re ever driving through the area, check it out!

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend”

Today, the enemy of my enemy was the heat. With a 4:00 start time, it was hot and humid on the course. 59 starters lined up, and, after an hour of racing, I finished in 19th place- my first top 20 finish in an NRC crit!

Like yesterday, I was feeling better about riding in the large pack and holding my position. Unlike yesterday, the heat seemed to take its toll on some of the very strong riders in the group, allowing me to unload on the last two laps and fight my way up in the charging pack. Tomorrow should be interesting…

Here’s a photo of me on course:

Last night’s racing was fun. The course was a pseudo-figure eight that kept everyone on their toes. I felt much more comfortable in the pack than in the Sunny King and Roswell races (though I had few close calls and did throw a couple of elbow “nudges” to some riders who got a little too close for comfort). I am finally getting more comfortable with riding in a pack of fast riders and moving up within the pack. With (relative) ease, I stayed about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way back in the pack. I even managed to find my way up front a few times :)

During the final laps, I was doing ok until the pace quickened and riders started to get gapped. As the field strung out, and I moved past the dropping riders, I realized I could hear the moto behind me… a sure sign of being in the back of the group! So, as I finished in 33rd place (out of 58 starters) this race ended up being another learning experience. However, as a fun side note, I was 8th place of the other category 2 riders.

I’ve got a couple more chances this weekend to continue making improvements. Realistically, I’ve got to get stronger and faster before I can expect to get in the top 10 finishers- something that just takes time and training.

AKA: NRC, Take Two

I leave in the morning for the Tulsa Tough Criteriums in Oklahoma. I’m ready for my next shot at some NRC racing. I’ve been working hard on being less polite when riding in a group :) Hopefully being a little less nice will keep me out of the back of the pack!