it was shortly after 530 when i found myself rolling south on broadway towards the unknown. i was unsure of my chosen route as gravel, glass and vehicular shrapnel flirted with the idea of making me walk home. the harsh wind was corrupted by the smells of burnt fuel and stress as speeding commuters raced traffic lights. i blocked out the cars as they drove too close, too fast…focusing only on the white line as we rode on the crumbling remains of the shoulder. it looked apocalyptic.
…a wave of relief washed over me as i realized that desert rd. was paved. after the turn to the west, everything changed. the roar of wind and constant traffic faded into nonexistence. it was like entering another life…one with cowshit, green grass and water. by the time i covered the first mile on 2nd st., my mind swam with the memories of a rebelious kid riding his bike past windswept kansas fields. the ride down was hypnotic.
a few brave souls showed up. even fewer showed without cars. the racing was great if not brutal with the longest straight directly into the wind. i did a practice lap between races. my giant gear ratio (52×16) was crushing my will to live. i fell in behind 2 roadies as they took off around a small group. drafting them was easy enough. as i turned to the right and the noise dropped, i heard the snick of a chain hopping to a taller gear in front of me. i pushed harder to keep up in the crosswind…no problem. suddenly, we leaned to the north and i heard that noise again…crisper that time as the tailwind silenced the world, and then they’re gone…. leaving me spinning as they embraced their smallest cog.
btw, when it came time for the fixed run, matt took the lead from jacob c. for the win (ftw…no!!!).
where was paul? probably changing a flat to our north somewhere.
much thankage to hawk for setting this up! tuesday night crits happen on tuesdays…past the desert (rd).
i was working. i was super sad to miss this. big ups to matt, though. no surprise that he killed it.