Race Anecdotes: Pulling the Peloton at Front Range Cycling Classic

First race of the season and I’m questioning my fitness and preparedness. I pack the day before, double-checking everything. The Race Director posts on their Facebook page that the race is delayed by an hour. Chris is excited. I’m questioning if it’s legit.

I watch what I eat, drink four Nalgene bottles worth of water, and decline a dinner invite by my co-workers out of fear of it messing with my eating-and-sleeping regimen.

I swap out my two-year old tires for a pair of new ones which I won at Pedal 50. As I struggle to get the new tire over my wheel, I second-guess these are the correct ones, even after double checking and comparing my old tires with the new ones. Even though they match, I still don’t believe they’re correct until I squish and squash and roll and youtube “how to get a tight tire over a wheel.”

My weak hands are no match to the stubborn tire.

Angela and I text about the race, our goals, and the competition. She asks me my goals: “Top 10?” I question. My goal is always to win but I know my fitness and most of my capabilities and most of the time, I don’t assume that’s a realistic goal. Top 10 out of 26 felt obtainable and not easy seeing as there were a number of pros signed up. I also wanted to hold on to one of their wheels as long as…