Race Report: WAW/Wednesday at Wakefield #1
Summer is Here.... time for watermelon, corn on the cob, steamed crabs, and Wednesdays at Wakefield!
As per usual....
a mad dash from work to home on the bicycle...
to lighten the load of my wife's post work responsibilities I walked the dogs in Rock Creek Park... then I packed up the car and zipped across town towards I395
my cross town zip brought me to a halt in Georgetown where sat in bumper to bumper car commuter traffic
watched storm clouds gather as I crossed the Key Bridge into Rosslyn
then watched rain on my windshield
contemplated turning back... but pushed forward
it took 45 minutes to travel 16.1 miles from my house
a frustrating experience
an experience that would cause many to move to public or alternative transportation
an experience that only gave me greater superiority to the car commuter culture
arrived at Wakefield with just enough time to register, jump into my City Bikes race apparel, and spin the Karate Monkey Rigid Single for a 5 minute warm up before lining up for the start
the Clydesdale field was small.... three deep and the third was no where to be seen at the start
as the few... the proud.... the oversized we waited at the back of the queue and started after everyone else
not sure what my body was going to be able to do after a few months off the bike and a finger still on the mend from surgery, so I did not stress my starting position
the race was pretty much all smiles
it was great to be out there
it was great to be racing
my legs and lungs felt good
my immobile index finger was not as much a hinderance as I had feared
there was a tad less control.... but on a non-technical course I was able to ride strong
the race course at Wakefield had some welcome changes
sometimes change can be good!
there was the addition of several wooden bridges... some Paris Roubaix stone sections... and some interesting chain link fence stream crossings
the alterations of the course made Wakefield more of a ROLLER COASTER RIDE than a mountainbike race
each time we exited the woods the course would switch back and take us into the woods for some more
the whole experience was a HOOT A HOLLER AND A SCREAM!...perhaps a REBEL YELL!
I was so happy to be out there!
it was good to be back out on the bike
it felt amazing to be back on dirt
and
it was fantastic to be racing again
the rain did not effect the course with any significance
the moisture in some areas caused me to corner with caution
as well as my approach to any log crossing or wooden bridge was done in the most stable and upright position as possible
managed to finish the race without any crashing or any trauma to my injured index finger
my right/healthy hand was worked
clearly I was compensating for the injury by having my right hand do the majority of the work
coming across the finishline at the end of the race was exhilerating
it was great to be racing again
it was great to be reunited with so many friends within the cycling culture
if I can I will try to head out to a few more of these Wakefield races....
maybe I can steal some of the Clydesdales from the other classes to make more of a race out of things
but in the end.... I am racing myself
it is all about personal best
that is was the splits are for... that is what the final time is for
WAW#1 Results
Summer is Here.... time for watermelon, corn on the cob, steamed crabs, and Wednesdays at Wakefield!
As per usual....
a mad dash from work to home on the bicycle...
to lighten the load of my wife's post work responsibilities I walked the dogs in Rock Creek Park... then I packed up the car and zipped across town towards I395
my cross town zip brought me to a halt in Georgetown where sat in bumper to bumper car commuter traffic
watched storm clouds gather as I crossed the Key Bridge into Rosslyn
then watched rain on my windshield
contemplated turning back... but pushed forward
it took 45 minutes to travel 16.1 miles from my house
a frustrating experience
an experience that would cause many to move to public or alternative transportation
an experience that only gave me greater superiority to the car commuter culture
arrived at Wakefield with just enough time to register, jump into my City Bikes race apparel, and spin the Karate Monkey Rigid Single for a 5 minute warm up before lining up for the start
the Clydesdale field was small.... three deep and the third was no where to be seen at the start
as the few... the proud.... the oversized we waited at the back of the queue and started after everyone else
not sure what my body was going to be able to do after a few months off the bike and a finger still on the mend from surgery, so I did not stress my starting position
the race was pretty much all smiles
it was great to be out there
it was great to be racing
my legs and lungs felt good
my immobile index finger was not as much a hinderance as I had feared
there was a tad less control.... but on a non-technical course I was able to ride strong
the race course at Wakefield had some welcome changes
sometimes change can be good!
there was the addition of several wooden bridges... some Paris Roubaix stone sections... and some interesting chain link fence stream crossings
the alterations of the course made Wakefield more of a ROLLER COASTER RIDE than a mountainbike race
each time we exited the woods the course would switch back and take us into the woods for some more
the whole experience was a HOOT A HOLLER AND A SCREAM!...perhaps a REBEL YELL!
I was so happy to be out there!
it was good to be back out on the bike
it felt amazing to be back on dirt
and
it was fantastic to be racing again
the rain did not effect the course with any significance
the moisture in some areas caused me to corner with caution
as well as my approach to any log crossing or wooden bridge was done in the most stable and upright position as possible
managed to finish the race without any crashing or any trauma to my injured index finger
my right/healthy hand was worked
clearly I was compensating for the injury by having my right hand do the majority of the work
coming across the finishline at the end of the race was exhilerating
it was great to be racing again
it was great to be reunited with so many friends within the cycling culture
if I can I will try to head out to a few more of these Wakefield races....
maybe I can steal some of the Clydesdales from the other classes to make more of a race out of things
but in the end.... I am racing myself
it is all about personal best
that is was the splits are for... that is what the final time is for
WAW#1 Results