What a Weekend!

First of it started on Thursday when the weather for the weekend began to look really bad.  I had to start developing a back-up plan for the Sleepy Hole Smackdown.  Advice to race promoters...have a back up plan already in place and a rain date set if you think their might be a reason to postpone your race.  I worked on Friday at the fire station so I was trying to finalize everything from there.  My wife was running the home front stuff trying to get everything ready in case we did have the race.  I got the notice at around 12 noon that unless something unusual happened it was approved to move the date of the race to the 22nd.  I wanted to make the call early to ensure that everyone got the word and everyone could alter their plans.

Wouldn't you know that the weather in Suffolk was nothing like predicted.  Wet roads from the night before but no rain until noon, then just light for the rest of the day.  I was a little stressed out.  I received two calls from the course in the morning.  One from a guy who drove from Raliegh and one from Lynchburg.  I felt bad.  I just hope the weather is really great next Sunday.

The Dismal Dash was being run rain or shine (like a TT should).  Rain it was.  This was the day I had expected on Saturday.  I was at the course early (9 am) because All About Bikes race Mitch Hunt, who was supposed to be the standby EMT, was hit by a car last week and couldn't do it.  So me and teammate John Gray did the EMT duties.  Our start times were altered so we weren't on the course at the same time.  So it was a long day in the cold and wet.  But I got a good warm up and made my way to the start line.

Here are my bucket of excuses:  My computer didn't work so I had no idea what my speed or cadence was.  My shield got fogged, wet and whatever but I couldn't see anything.  That actually scared me a little.  I felt like I was looking through a straw.  I only hit one pot hole though that I couldn't clear.  The turns were done very slow though. 

All and all though I posted a PR for that course...by 5 minutes.  Now it didn't put me at the top but it did take me off the bottom so I was pleased with that.  1:04:21.  Not bad.  I might become a time trialist one day if I'm not careful.

So then it was off to home to try and get warm and drunk...both successful.