Almost summer!

Well, fan, it's almost summer, and when last I updated I had just returned from my annual family visit in Marquette, MI.

I was up there for a week, managing to borrow my cousin's mountain bike for two grin inducing trail rides. After my retubike didn't make time for my bike until the ring of fire training race three days later.

I sense that the road racing chapter of my life is coming to a close, but the motorpacing aspect of the training series drew me to it. Usually I just do the men's race (more reliable speed and effort), but in an attempt to help bolster the women's race I ponied up the extra $ for it, even if I was skeptical of the fun factor.

In an attempt to help set up my new teammates to do well in the sprints, (the Wed night training races here are run points race style, which means every five laps the field sprints for points, the last lap & final sprint being worth double. most points wins.) I just attacked attacked attacked the field when I could, trying to make the few non-teammates work to chase me down. When the sprint laps came, if I wasn't completely fried I went hard early, praying Erica or Allison would come around me. We didn't really have the timing down perfectly-one sprint we gave to a non-teammie, one sprint no one came around me-but I got a great workout in and that was what I wanted. With two laps to go the bell rang for a gambler's prime, so I went for it super early, taking the prime (awesome Essential Journeys soap! Get some!) and continuing the effort. How I managed to hold that effort for two laps I have no idea, but after a tongue lolling, leg searing escape I found myself rounding the final 'corner' with no one next to me. I took the final sprint, and with that won the race. Yes, a road bike race. Wha?

It is not a huge victory, but it sure made me feel good that night, anyway. Anyway, at the end of this post ( I hope) are two photos from that night. One of me attacking the field, the other of the finishing sprint. :-)

I found myself back at the speedway two days later, to participate in the strangest of things - a cyclo-cross race (in May!). I lined up with the strongest local ladies, and we all had fun racing each other while weaving through the B men who had started 15 seconds ahead of us, reggae music from the Mountain Sports Festival venue floating in the air around us. I managed to get the W in that one, too, winning the coolest piece of recycled bike equipment artwork called 'bent creek cherry.' I took this as an omen of things to come, which I will discuss in a post later this summer... (hopefully) photo below of me skating through the sandpit in the race.

I can't post a photo of this sweet piece of art, though, as we are currently in the Meowmobile headed toward Manistee, MI for the 100 mile mountain bike race called the Lumberjack 100. (Aka a million hours away from home) on Saturday we'll be competing together in the 100 mile Race on the tandumb! I'll try to make time for some more updates on the trip.

Cara