This race did not mean much in terms of the overall season. Kevin was assured of first place, Brad assured of second, and I was going to finish in third place overall for the series. Nothing that happend in this race would change that, but this race still mattered for other reasons. It would tell us whether Kevin could win another blue ribbon, and whether Keith could keep his late season push alive. It would tell us whether Brad could break into the top three again after missing Jackson, and whether Stan could put it together enough to show us that his love of skiing is the only thing that keeps him from winning bike races. It would solidify the progress made by Mike and Jason–reminding us that progress is really the only worthwhile measurement in this sport. Most of all, however, it would tell us whether we could all survive a race approaching two hours on a hot August day.
I’ll skip the details on this one and simply say that I finished fourth. I felt good about fourth in light of a head cold and a crash on the second lap. Besides, fourth is probably where I should be in this group if Kevin, Keith and Brad are riding at 100%. Next year may be different. Actually, next year will inevitably be different. If I learned anything this year, it is that past results do not predict future results. Our entire group got faster this year, and I expect it will get even faster next year. Even if I follow Brad to spin class all winter I can’t be certain I will be as fast as he will be next year.
As much fun as racing is, I have also learned that it is important to take a break. Spending a couple of months rediscovering the joys of riding is one of the greatest benefits of completing another race season. I look forward to riding the BST and City Creek Canyon without worrying about whether I am turning too hard a gear–or where my heart rate should be and for how long. I am not good at that stuff anyway, but at least now I can enjoy the ride guilt-free.
After a couple of months it will be time to start looking forward to next year–and there will be plenty to look forward to. We have at least a half a dozen guys in our group who are capable of being really fast on March 6, 2010. One of them, Kevin, is already there, and despite the fact that I jokingly told him he needs to move up on Saturday, it would be fun to keep him in the group next year. Of course there may be some out there who would argue that Kevin, Brad, Keith and I should all move up next year, but where is the fun in that?
Since Ed was kind enough to have the expert and sport classes run the same distance and laps on Saturday it made comparing times across classes so easy that Bert and Ernie could do it. So they did.
Kevin, Brad and Keith would have wound up with top 10 finishes. Reed would have been 11th. I think at least that the top two should move up and the two slowest in expert be able to move down if they wish. I know that Brad says he doesn’t want to do the extra distance.