MO state champs! Cat 1/2!

A year ago in Herman, Matt James and I crossed the line in the cat 3 race second and first respectively. This year, the race was in the birth place of Charlie Parker, home of Arthur Bryants, and after reading on wikipedia, apparently a large enclave of Irish Americans...KC, MO. Although we were only a stones throw away from Kansas, it was still the MO state championship.

I didn't know what to expect going into the race and was a bit disappointed that half of the KC cat1/2 field wasn't in attendance. Devin was sick, Jeff Yielding had already raced (and won) earlier, and Schottler resting. Plus, the race was on saturday so many folks, had to work. So it left Josh and I battling for the jersey. In addition, Andrew Coe was in attendance and proved to be a very worthy competitor as he pretty much crushed everyone there.

The race went something like this:
-1/2 lap in, Josh was at the front and I was on his wheel. Coming into the first set of barriers, there was a sidewalk crossing and unfortunately I slipped and scraped my knee pretty good but managed to recover and chase back onto Josh's wheel.

-Josh fell in the sandpit, just like in October ;) I passed and soon it was Andrew and me at the front. I haven't ridden with such a strong rider this year. He was attacking out of every corner and really riding well. A week ago, I think I could have ridden with him longer but this week, I just didn't feel on. It was a struggle and the hurt began early.

-After a few laps, I smacked the back of my knee with my pedal coming out of the sand and Andrew was gone. I hobbled around until Josh caught me and then tried to recover on his wheel for a few laps.

You can actually see the blood soaking through my right knee warmer here along with a cut on my shin. At this point, I'm not exactly sure what happened. Josh is my friend and I have a ton of respect for him but for some reason he and I have a hard time communicating non-verbally. I wasn't sure if we were working together to bring back Andrew or if he was trying to shake me off his wheel. All I knew was that I was hurting and wished my legs felt like the week before.

With 2 to go, Josh yelled at me to pull. So, I put in a big effort to try and catch Andrew. I guess my adrenaline got the best of me and I rode myself into a hole. With 1 to go, Josh came around me and I just couldn't match his pace. It was painful watching him ride away. Especially given the crappy week that preceded the race (had to travel to Houston to get another bump on my neck looked at).


This week I've come down with a nasty cold and am really hoping to feel better before leaving for Bend on Thursday. Maggie, Matt James, and his wife Lizz are coming with. Cassidy is staying with GaGa...very nervous about leaving her for so long, but we're also really looking forward to the trip.

Congrats to Andrew, Josh, Jeff Yielding, and as always T-tocs and storm for some impressive races and superior attitudes and states of mind.