Saturday, March 7, 2009

Tour of Knox County



What a difference a week makes. Last week we raced in 28 degree weather, today it was 45 degrees warmer! Needless to say, riders shed all the winter clothing in the parking lot and the start line look much better than last week.

Even Farmer John got into the spirit today. Only question is where do you apply the chamois creme?

But you didn’t tune in here to see salacious pictures, you surfed over to read about a bike race. For the pictures got to drunkcyclinst.com.

Here’s the dope. Seventy three degrees, 50 racers, a stacked Cat. 1/2 field and large 3/4 and 4/5 too. One COBSausage rider that got spanked early and went home before the race was over, more about that later. I was joined today by the Spartan Spirit Cadillac George, Farmer John, and our former chums Andy “Joe College” Will and the new Olympian Iowa Josh. Chairman Fred Parks made an appearance to watch, but I caught him talking up the girls in thongs a coupla times. But can you blame him?


Don’t call me hateful but Eric-the-1/2-a-bee COBSausage rider told us last December that ‘the team’ doesn’t do Tym Tyler races because the courses are not demanding and races not long enough! Yeah, right - ask anyone about the safe challenging roads today, I recorded speeds at 42 mph flying down the backside and a mere 8 mph doing nearly 450W on the climbs. Everyone was toast by the time the race was over, from the Cat. 2s to the Cat. 5s. And did I mention the only member of the Jimmy Dean squad to toe the start line went pop, pop, pop on lap one! Maybe 'the team' should reconsider their position, or take up touring with another group we know that likes to gently roll.

Your pal hung as long as he could, trying to match Tym’s accelerations after the climbs. I did it once, twice, but third time up I was cut free - untethered to ride with a few stragglers. The numbers were brutal - average 188W and 165 BPM, and that was with all the freewheeling downhills...

Congrats to Farmer John and Andy for his 2nd place in the Cat. 1/2 race...

It's early - see you at Mid-Ohio.

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