Me:"I can do that, do you have a computer around"
Them:"Yeah but it doesn't have internet"
Me:"Uhhh is there anything else I can do"
Them: "Yeah, go ask the head official if you can race"
Me: "Ok"

After musing about this for a moment I realized they really want to make sure they have all their bases coverd and shame on me for not bringing a print-out showing my status. Lesson learned. The head official gave me the go ahead after making sure I was comfortable with the course and that under penalty of death I really was a cat 4.

This of course allowed me to stage in the very very back of the field. I had company though as the rest of the AABC crew was there too. Pretty funny considering that the only advice I've repatadly heard for this course is "Be near the front going into the dirt"

Race started with little fanfare and I think the begining is neutral but since I don't really know what that means I started surfing my way up through the field.  I remember the turn onto Offit looking up the road and seeing an impossible number of people up the road and thinking that I had some work cut out for me. I kept working it best I could... sometimes not being very nice but also trying to keep it reasonably safe.

Soon enough the super bright signs for the dirt were visible and I still had a ways to go (30 riders or so) but Riskus had coached me through this the weekend before "People will have no idea what they are doing or what the road is like because they have never been on it, go up the sides or the middle" So I did, mostly up the sides but people as Steve had predicted were sticking to the worn tracks and with some work I was at the front by the time the dirt was done. Came off the road safe and prepped myself for the wall.  It actually wasn't that bad and started in the rotation at the front with two Bike Rack guys a 530 rider, a Singing R1V rider (who incedentally claimed he was going to sing the whole race...I didn't hear him sining sining after about halfway through the second lap) and an unattached rider who seemed to be pretty strong and not sketchy. It stayed like this through most of the second lap... I was feeling pretty good and having fun.  After River road the second time through Dietz shows up on front and immediatly takes over and it's pretty funny when a guy you kow goes to the front and does exactly what you knew he was going to do... make it hard.  The collective groan of everyone up there was hilarious and it was kind of a shock to the system because it really had been SLOW.  Brian kept it hard going up the hill on Club Hollow and just as everyone eases up on the pace He did exactly what Riskus the week before said should be done. He attacked. The guys on the front said something like "Ha! solo flyer... let him go we'll bring him back" and continued to soft pedal. In my head I'm laughing and I'm also pumped because now I don't have to do any work at the front.

In about 5 minutes everyone starts gettin antsy because Brian is just getting further away and the attacks start.  I try to mark every third attack or so but the overall pace started to really get painful and after a while I go into self preservation mode. In a bit Steve makes his way to the front and I give him the details I know: Dietz way up the road, a coppi, bike rack, and two NCVC chasing and I'm just haning on. Eventually the two NCVC guys re-integrated into our group while some other NCVC guy was yelling, too tired to really care.

Into the dirt the forth and last time I start getting cramps in my calf and kept on thinking about strategies to not to end up with a frozen leg in a ditch though I'm slightly comforted by the fact that Ron loves to tell the story about how that happened to him and decided that it must not be that embarrasing since Ron doesn't do anything that could even be misunderstood as embarassing. With acceptance of a possible fate I get to work on putting it off for as long as I can.  I get off of River road and Ken A rolls up still looking good!  Damn he look so much better than I feel... that's it I just need to look good! Ouch.. That wall hurt. but it was the last time and the cramps were only slightly penetrating my conciousness when a rider on my left comes swinging into me.  Something towards the back of his bike hit the front wheel of my bike and by some miracle no body went down. A gap opens up ahead and I take advantage of the awkward situation and take it.

The pace picks up and I'm hurting.. just hanging on and it's obvius that pretty much everyone is doing the same. The problem is that it's much harder than I expect and certainly harder than I've been working all race. This is a problem.  I decide that I absolutely must stay on because if they can do it, I can do it.  I hang on past the climb and pop. I hang my head in shame and notice that my front wheel is way out of true and got some sweet brake rub going on. I flip the brake lever and soft pedal my way to the finish line. I'm bummin out but at least I have something to blame my flier off the back on.

Congrats to Brian for initiating the move of the day and getting third. We all know how much work he probably did and I'm sure he deserves first.