I'll take Sports
for $100
Waking to a predawn
alarm – Kitting-up with two extra outer layers and a
puffy jacket – Bushwhacking the bikes, in darkness, off the
side porch, through the rhododendrons, across the lawn to the idling car – Meeting
the on-call road snow emergency crew at the local 24/7 convenience store for a
cup of coffee – Adding trail mix, bananas and chocolates to
the coffee tab – Arriving at the park before the park entrance
attendant has a chance to sort out the morning – Parking in an empty parking lot next to a
field filled with collapsed tents, wind torn banners and miles of fluttering
vinyl tape – Eating breakfast out of a paper bowl in the romantic light cast by
the navigation system screen and seat heater lights – Fifteen minutes of quickstep
dancing in the dark , cold and windy line of racers outside the concession
stand in a kit with two extra outer layers and a puffy jacket – Pinning each
other’s race numbers on the left side rib cage of our kits with the world’s
smallest safety pins and numb fingers – Feeling our way along the course
between the tape as the sun peaks above the horizon but continues to hide behind
the cloud cover – Picking up the pace on the second pre-race lap to test tire
pressure and adhesion – Testing your bike handling abilities and line selection
on pre-race lap number three – Bringing your heart rate down and formulating
your race plan on lap four while you listen for the last call to staging –
Dropping everything at base camp save a last gulp of water, your GU Roctane and
something to block the wind during the call-ups –
“One minute to start” you
throw your last piece of warm clothing over the rail of the bull pen, check
your gear and jack your pedals for the start – “Thirty seconds to start, start
could come at any time” – Sprint, sprint , sprint like you've never sprinted
before, the sooner you get on course the better position you’ll be in for the
first bottleneck. From here on out you execute your plan which can be summed up
as: Ride as fast as you dare, pushing the biggest gear you can bear, take every
opportunity that presents itself and when you hear the bell, step it up a notch
and finally sprint to the finish.
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