The year lasted longer than I expected. I was planning on not riding from September til now. Well gladly, that didn’t happen. Here’s a quick blast of what happened since August.
At the track, I finished very well at the third Pro Series Race. I technically finished the ominum in 6th place. However, the results don’t show how the rain screwed me out of 5th place. I had won entrance into the sprint final, where last place was still guaranteed one point. That would have bumped me into 5th place. Well five minutes before the race started, the rain came in and soaked my chances. Anyways, I stuck it to Marty later in the year!
Chris Kelly and I teamed up for the second Working Man’s Madison. We rode better than our first Madison. We held our own considering we were racing against the would-be National Champ, Dan Holt.
Work obligations kept me from coming down most of the rest of the season. The one opportunity I had to make it down, I continued my Chariot race winning streak. I ended the year in 15th place overall out of 80+ racers. The highlight of the year was winning Team of the Year with Faster Mustache.
Team of the Year award. Photo Courtesy: Jon Woodroof | twotoneatl.com
I mountain biked more this year than any year before. I’m still riding the Kona Cinder Cone that is way too small, still setup as a single speed. This bike will hopefully get replaced in 2011. I had the best 2 days of dirt riding of my life. FATS in Augusta, GA has to be my new favorite trail in Georgia, especially Deep Loop. These trails are so smooth and flowy that it feels like being on a mag-lev roller coaster. I also rode Jake Mountain and Secret Squirrel.
My friend and teammate Eric convinced me to try cyclocross racing this year and lent me his “spare” bike. He had built up a Bianchi Pista track bike with a cyclocross fork and front brake. Fixed gear bikes are not especially good for cyclocrossing but I had a blast. I raced four races this year: Cat 4 and Singlespeed catergories at Rock Ranch in Barnesville (17th and 10th), and Cat 4 and Cat 3 at Psychocross (??? and 17th). For the Cat 3 race, I borrowed my friend Bob’s geared bike and had even more fun. I will definitely get a geared cyclocross bike for next year.
Muscles! by Chris Kelly
In October, I entered a rather boring race in Grant Park. Day one’s qualifying race was a mind numbing 2 hours of loops inside the park. The [dis]organizers didn’t have qualifying results up in time, so on Day 2 I bailed and rode Secret Squirrel instead. I later found out that I qualified for the main race, oh well.
Grant Park Hipster Crit, photo by Demoncats
Now, I have to go get in some base miles for 2011.