I’ve typically had uncharacteristically good results here, probably due to the less technical nature of the course. This year, they shortened up the course, taking out some of the long “power” sections, and eliminating the entire back part of the course. I think I actually liked last years longer and boring-er course better.
Somehow I still had a front row call-up, and got the last front row spot on the grid. I decided to be a bit more reserved for the start, and settled in somewhere in the middle. I had my eyes on the Bicycle Therapy guys, and could see the leaders ahead of me, bunched up into a group of about 10. I couldn’t quite get there, so I just rode on my own until Greg slid out and I caught up to him. There was one very innocuous looking corner, after the off-camber parts, around a little tree that was the scene of many wrecks and dropped chains. A few laps later it took me out, and I had to get the chain back on. Then Jack was breathing down my neck, and definitely making up ground. On the last lap, he passed me coming up to the barriers, I followed him around to the last few turns where he slid out. I just managed to get around him, and he was back up in no time. We sprinted to the line and I managed to stay ahead of him.
Then the single speed race, there were actually two, the “Legit USAC” version, and the “YOLO SWAG” version. I was prepared to race the legit version, and expecting no end of hijinks and shenanagins for the last SS race. However, lots of confusion. The number list that the officials had did not match the numbers that half of us had been given, so after a few call-ups, the rest of us got scrum. I was at the very back, but no big deal. In a lap or two, I got up near front and could see Dan Rapp. I came through and saw one to go, so put in a hard last lap, and rolled through the finish. Or so I though. Several of us had all stopped, but then realized that there was actually one more lap to go. Darn. So I got back on course, and rolled through another lap. That was very confusing.
Then the YOLO SWAG race, I knew that this was going to be an event, and set in for the experience. I had no costume, so I took some flak for “taking it seriously”, but that was rather impossible! Pretty soon huge sections of the course dissapeared, and the mayhem unfolded. See the video. After a few laps, the swirling vision started, so I bailed and rolled back to the car. The race is a very hazy memory of gorillas, giant blue drums, and Pryor riding through the course tape.
Marten Beels 