DNF

8.8.09 Grayslake Cycling Classic Criterium
Cat. 3 / DNF

I've never had a flat in a race. Today I had two.

Five or six guys went off the front early in the race, and as I had been sitting in the middle of the field I was going to need to make a serious effort to bridge the gap. Me and a couple other guys jumped away from the pack to get to the break and shortly thereafter found myself, all alone, in no-man's-land - that hellish place between the breakaway and the rest of the field. I had managed to get within 20 or 30 meters of the lead group when I started feeling my rear wheel fishtailing around the corners - flat. SRAM was providing neutral support so I walked back to the start and got a replacement wheel (much nicer than mine, bonus). By this point the breakaway is crushing the rest of the field so I say, "I was just off the back of the breakaway when I flatted," in hopes that I could get back in where I was and not with the main field. So he lets me jump in as the break rolls by on the next lap and I quickly (and mildly guiltily) join the breakaway. So now I'm in the breakaway and whether I belong there is probably debatable at best. This lead group of 7 or 8 guys was really moving and I just didn't have the horsepower to be much help. So here I am - holding on for dear life, trying my best to hide my exhaustion, and taking brief pulls at the front to at least maintain the appearance of legitimacy. "Six laps to go!" shouts the announcer and all I can think is how am I ever going to keep this up for six more laps?? As it turns out, I didn't have to. A lap or two later my bike starts feeling all sloppy again - front wheel flat this time. Frustration and relief washed over me in equal measure. Then, I did what I always do when I get frustrated...I started screaming obscenities and threw my bike into someone's front lawn. Okay, actually I just walked back to where my family was watching and finished the race as a spectator - disappointed but thankful for the pain to be over.