Racer Ex 

Anyone going?

carbonjockey

no- need to get in some crits and tris first

UT_Dude

My Zipps are... Sadly, I, am not.... Unless I find a way to get out there cheap-ly and stay there free/cheap-ly.

So basically, I'm not going.

Racer Ex 

You shoulda got a hold of me. If you can make it to Van Horn tomorrow...

ZeCanon

Not this year. Can't take the time off from school.

esammuli

Looks like the pro/1 race just got a little more interesting. Rahsaan Bahati's been talking some trash.

https://bahatiracing.com/rbgroup/blog...02/11/822.aspx

UT_Dude

Probably not Perhaps next year.

VosBike

I'll be there. 3's.

And so begins the race your way into shape approach.

HolyInstantRice

My friend Ben Barsi-Rhyne'll be there in the Pro/1/2s, lookin' for the win... he's only nineteen, and man, is he fast. Dropped me soft-pedaling up a hill while sick on a recovery ride.

Racer Ex 

If you see a Orange/Blue kit (sorta Rabobank) from Texas (Joe's) say howdy.

MDcatV

I had to remove it from my schedule due to work. I have a team mate going, provided weather delays at local Balt/DC area airports dont keep him grounded. He'll be in the 3s, wearing the red white and blue All American Bicycle Center (AABC) kit, looks like this photo, except he's a bigger/thicker track sprinter looking guy ... he actually won the race this pic was taken from.

VosBike

Racer Ex, I'll try to find you. I'll be in my collegiate kit (Colorado College, it's plaid, shouldn't be hard to spot)

MDcatV, Tell your teammate that if he sees some guys in Colorado college kit, we'd be happy to work with him. Only a few of us are going and I think I might be the only 3. So finding a BFer to work with would be awesome.

carbonjockey

so i know the race is ending today- not making it down to watch, but how did it go? any race reports or pics?

marcelinyc

pics https://www.wmrc.org/vos/index.htm

Racer Ex 

My report in brief for the 40+ 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9:

TT: Irony, they name is Valley of the SUN. 45 degrees and raining. Left both my TT helmets at the hotel, bike issues gave me a poor 15 minute warm up. Terrible legs, the "5.2 mile turn around" was at 7 miles. Even worse legs on the return trip. Maybe it's because the seatpost slipped 1/2"?

10th of 62, dropped 90+ seconds to the GC leader.

Ready to go Charlie Gaul and do the hermit thing.

RR: Still in the 40's, though at least it's not raining. Slightly better legs. Hoping for a long leash and my number missing from the big boys stems. Nope. 4 tries OTF and immediately run down. The boys from Paul Tracy and GST doing a real nice job controlling things, and keeping the pace high on the climbs.

Tried pleading my case about being nowheresville on GC. Threatened them with my climbing prowess (a giant early season bluff if there ever was one). No dice.

Third and last time up I make all the selections but mis-time my lack of punch and end up 7th. Drop to 11th on GC thanks to time bonuses. Where's an omnium when you need it?

Well, at least I had a close seat for the action.

Crit: 30 minutes in the middle of the day with no leash. Maybe I can pick up some prime gift certs for a place 800 miles away that expire at the end of Feb.

Or I can head east and go climb for several hours. The area around the McDonald observatory at Ft. Davis is pretty this time of year, plus I rode past pronghorns, pigs, and deer. Repeats up the 17% finishing climb. Oh, and it was 62 degrees. I wore a base layer. Brrrrrrrr.

Stopped in Big Spring, Texas on the way home. I'll reserve comment on the town other than to note that the motel I stayed at won't rent to people from Big Spring. Woke up, decided to drive an hour before breakfast. Two minutes after hitting the road I looked in my rear view and saw this (see pic).

You know those scenes in the action hero movies where the bad MF finally leaves town and all you see is a giant explosion? Racer Ex IS that bad MF.

Or the refinery blew up huge...

You be the judge.

bdcheung

bwahahahaha, awesome report, K.

UT_Dude

Dang, sorry to hear it didn't go so well. At least you got to see a refinery blow up! (?)

Get the carbon grease from Ritchey (or a variety of other companies), and your seatpost will stop slipping. I had the same problem with the P2C until I got a hold of some of that.

Cleave

Hi Racer Ex,

Cool report.

Isn't there a state in between AZ and TX? Also didn't realize that TX was on the way back to the Bay Area.

I am going to have to try that race next year. I'm a glutton for punishment.

Racer Ex 

It's a state of nothingness if you take the back roads.

And TX is now on the way home. Well, actually, it IS home.

"What's a dazzling Urbanite like you doing in a rustic setting like this?"

Indeed.

El Diablo Rojo

Having made the drive from LA to Austin many times I can tell you the worst part is driving through New Mexico on I 10.

VosBike

That race was just no good.

At least I think I'm in better shape now.

Racer Ex 

My thoughts exactly on the former, on the latter we'll see.

mike9903

Did not know you where in town and that you ride for Joe's Pro. I am on the BSK law team in the 4's, you doing Pace Bend or Walburg this weekend**********

Racer Ex 

Hi Mike, been in Texas going towards two months now. I'm doing Walburg in the 45+ and Pace in the 35+, hopefully contributing to the team effort and racing myself into shape. I think we've got a couple of guys in the 4's in both.

UT_Dude

You'll have to say hi this weekend.