Torelli Spring Classic -- Season Opener RR

First thing I did this morning was thank Jesus for our Daughter due on June. 28, 2004! My wife told me Caylin was moving a lot. Becky said, " See if you can feel Caylin move!" For the first time I had experienced Caylin riding a bike in Becky's tummy! It is the best miracle giving to us by God. We are so blessed just to have our health. We pray that others will except the Love that Jesus has to give!

The race started hard! After a few laps Savage Hill took control! Racers were complaining to us the whole race! " Why don't you pull," "Savage Hill has 8 riders do something," the list goes on. You can't blame them for trying to talk us into doing something we don't want to do. I am learning it's all a part of the game we play. That's what makes this sport so much fun, you don't know who's going to attack or when. You also don't know who's going to work in a break either.

Well, today I did what I wanted to do! I had fun jumping on breaks when I felt the time was right. But Savage Hill took control early in the race by closing all the break attempts and that made it easy for me. Three laps to go Savage Hill made the closing move. Swain started to pull easy which was faster than the whole race pace. Then with one lap to go Swain took off with Fisher and I holding on tight. Fisher told Tim "Let me know when I can pull," music to my ears!

Fisher took off as soon as Swain pulled to the side, Awesome job Tim! Fisher pulled so hard he made me jump on his wheel making me wonder if I could come around him. The last turn Chris took faster than we had all day, I had to jump on his wheel again! Fisher's Day was done, and Savage Hill Cycling Team won the race!!!

I swore this was supposed to be a road race. Oops, at .7 mile, I guess it was a crit? I did my warmup, but it didn’t help me feel more confident--though I’m guessing those weren’t the tightest of corners. My bike is meant for touring, not cornering.

We had a small field of 7. Due to our delayed start at 2:00 with the men’s cat 1-3, the number of riders wasn’t overwhelming. It was a pretty tame race. About 8 laps into it we got dropped by the woman who won, lapping us in the process (all the more impressive because she raced at 1:00, too). At the point I got dropped, I worked with a woman from the OSU team, who had also done that earlier race. We traded pulls, content with the speed we were doing, and holding the #2 and #3 spots.

By the last two laps, I knew the OSU woman was hurting from that earlier race. I worked harder, pulled away, and then hit the speed I thought I could hold until the end. Since I tried to puke after crossing the finish line, I can safely say I didn’t have anything else left.

A lot of things went wrong: late arrival, no warmup, little help, and missed the 4 man break. Given that I missed the break, I couldn't have a better placing. The field sprint was a little difficult starting from about 7 back out of the last corner on the windy side, but it's good to see that part of my game coming together.
I look foreward to doing it again with the field together and maybe with a good leadout.

I didn't know Garrett. From the comments said about him, I missed knowing somebody who would have definitely left a positive impression on me. My thought are with his family during this difficult time.

When I first heard about the location of the course I had my reservations. But when I arrived and was able to ride my first few laps, I realized that this course had everything. Tight clean turns long straight stretches, and smooth pavement. Looking back when I was a cat 4 & 5 this type of course would have intimidated me in a pack and unless I started in the front I would not have lasted. Now with everything I have experienced the last few years, this is the type of course I look forward to. Almost all of the turns you could take at speed and there were plenty of places to make some nice strong moves to put the hurt on the field. The race ended up being a little short for my taste, but it was a nice warm-up for this time of the year. Swain and Grimm both rode excellent races. All of us tried various breakaway attempts, but nothing would stick. When the race came down to the last few laps you could just tell that we knew exactly where to be and what to do without saying a word. That is a great feeling. Our end result could not have been much better. I hope that this is a example of things to come this season.

I'm glad it's only March. I didn't know Garrett Wonders but he sounds like he was a classy individual. I'm sorry I never made his acquaintance. Our prayers to his wife, family and friends.

I was going to write a race report, but I've been reading through the memories of Garrett posted by SHC riders and others. It's pretty hard to get excited about a race in the face of that--basically because that stuff is what really matters in life. How many times did I read, "Class," and, "I am a better person today because of Garrett." What else is there in life?

I never had the priveledge of knowing Garrett. But thanks to you guys who did, I have the hope that his attitude, his spirit, and his class can live on--in all of us.

Here's to Garrett