5/02/97
I have now changed the editor I use to write this. I am now going to bounce around and use anything I damn well please. EZ Editor is not easy. I think I am getting a better idea how all these html tags work.
I guess I am writing again on Friday. Maybe that'll be the schedule from now on.
I raced again yesterday at Seward Park. This time, there were more people from the ACC (my team) there. Along with Mike Smith (who races in the second race), I also met up with Mike Petty, and Don (I'll remember his last name next time. Like the Mikes, there are more than one Dons in the ACC). M.P. and Don were racing in the first race, like me.
I rode my bike to the race like last week. It's a pretty good warm up, and it takes about the same time as it does to drive there, if you take into account the time for walking to the parking lot and such. And it was nice weather too.
I first saw Mike Petty. He had driven to the race, so he was going to warm up. It was nice having another person with a car that I knew, because it gave me a place to stash some of the stuff I had to race with last time, like water bottles, frame pump, jacket, etc. I rode with Mike to warm up. This may or may not have been a mistake. He kinda got me tired, but I couldn't tell if it was for good or bad because I did about the same as I did last week. Unfortunately, I didn't reset the bike computer after the race, so I couldn't really tell. I should take a small pad with me and a pencil to jot stuff down.
Like usual, I got lapped twice before the pack did their 15 laps. I think I did either 13 or 12 laps. It's kinda hard to tell, because the lap board is set up to tell the people who are with the pack how many laps are left.
It's kinda frustrating to enter races at this level, because anyone who gets dropped off the back of the pack like I do tend to drop out of the race instead of trying to finish it like I do. Consequently, it becomes a time trial. The best race I had was the second one, where there was one guy who stayed with me till the end. I think he was in the same lap as I was, but he may have lapped me once...
As for the other guys, Mike Petty was doing alright, but there was a crash in front of him, which pretty much spoiled his chances. Luckily, he didn't get hurt. The race organizers warned us about the moss in the gutters, but some fool climbed up the hill in the gutters and slipped. Mike couldn't get around him, so he just stopped and helped the guy up. He then waited up for me, and we finished the race together.
Don finished in the pack, but he said he got boxed in at the finish. I didn't get to see the finish, of course.
I didn't stick around to see how Mike Smith did, though... He finished third in his race last weekend, so I'm sure he did alright.
Another bonus of having another team mate at the race was that I was able to ride back with Don after the race.
I think I must have spent too much time in the gym on Tuesday waiting for my girlfriend. I felt pretty bad the next day, and I felt stiff on the bike as well. Today (Friday) my legs hurt more than normal after a ride, and my left calf is painful...