Panoche Valley RR Cat 5

HOT. I'd be lying if I said it was the most fun I've had on a bicycle but at least I was able to get another cat 5 start under my belt. A flat course without any hills to shed the weaker riders. Not wanting to go solo off the front in such sweltering conditions I attempted to instigate a break a few times but was unsuccessful so I just stayed in the large front group of 20 or so riders and positioned myself for a sprint finish. With about 2km to go my legs started cramping bad enough I had to ease off and stretch my legs to get the cramping to subside. With a couple hundred meters to go I followed the inevitable surge for the finish and came around a half dozen riders for second while remaining in the saddle fighting leg cramps and hoping I wouldn't pull a muscle. On the way back from the race the van I was in with Dave Borba and JD Gilford broke down in San Juan Batista. Many phone calls were made and time dragged as we attempted to figure out how we were going to get all of us and our bicycles home. The best part of my day turned out to be when I hopped on my bike and bucked a headwind for 45 miles alone back to Santa Cruz enjoying the increasing coolness of the Pacific Northwesterly wind blowing in my face the closer I got to home. That's a day of racin' I guess. This day caused me to recall something my old wrestling coach used to say after a grueling practice or when I would hobble off the mat after being bloodied in battle: Sometimes havin' fun just ain't fun, this ain't for the weak. Oye. Cheers, Thad