Hi

I've lurked here for a long ass time (ass, see?), but this is my first post. I rode in my first "race" today, which, granted, was just a practice crit. Still, it taught me a whole lot!

Today I learned:

-nothing I thought I knew about myself as a cyclist has any bearing on racing
-I suck
-being at the back is terrible
-the inside is good
-pay attention all the friggin' time
-I didn't know much about pain after all
-being last might just hurt in ways that are worst than crashing
-that said, losing a bike race can still be heaps of fun (and by losing, I mean last)

Most importantly, I think today I learned that the lessons I am going to have to teach myself in order to become a better racer are surely going to make me better at everything else I do.