No goal

I guess the "wait until next year" line is in effect. My 2nd Chequamegon is in the books, and although I didn't make my goal of finishing in the top 100, I still had a very fun weekend. Details, details...

I left work early on Friday and took off for the KOA campground in Hayward to meet up with Vino and Rick. This lovely cabin awaited us:
We unpacked everything and then took off to pick up our packets/numbers. Upon returning, we prepped the bikes and clothing for the next day.

This is what 3 layers of Brown Bear goodness looks like. That's a short sleeve under an insulated long sleeve under a windjacket.

We woke up at 4:30am to head to the start and snag 2nd row start positions (behind the preferred start group, of course). It was a brisk 26 degrees out, so it felt good to head back to the heated cabin and crawl back into bed, wondering how all the campers in tents were doing. A few hours later we were back up, eating and getting dressed, then heading to the start line.

The start seemed the same as last year...very fast with a couple of big crashes thrown in for good measure. I felt fine for the start, not cold despite the temps with the legs feeling ok; not great, but not crappy either. I went through the 17 mile checkpoint about a minute slower than last year, so I tried to pick it up a bit. Right around mile 30 I started to feel a little crampy in the legs and butt (?) area. They never fully locked up, but just twinged. As I neared the finish, I knew that my time would be slower than last year, but it's so hard to know your position in the race with all those riders out there. I crossed the line in 2:38, so 3 minutes slower than last year, and that put me in 235th place. Not what I was hoping for, but not bad either. I did beat Greg Lemond though. :) Looks like I would have to shave about 10min off of my time if I want to reach my goal of top 100...that's doable. Next year, next year.

Both Dave and Rick had good races, with Dave taking a full half hour off his previous best to finish in just over 3 hours, and Rick doing well in his first Cheq. I found a pic of Rick here. Nice job guys! I believe that Rick reserved the same cabin for next year, so we have plenty of room if any other TBB members care to join in...

After the race, I took off for Minneapolis to have some fun at the Renaissance with the family. I hadn't been there for many years. It was good to see everyone, even if it was just for a short time, and I delivered Danette her new bike (in aquamarine color) as well.

There's my weekend. On Sunday is another WORS race in Iola.