Season Opener!!!!

So today was my first collegiate race of the season. It was hosted by DePauw University in Green Castle, IN. This is one of my favorite courses because its really well organized, not too technical or difficult and its usually great weather.

My race was at 9:30am Indiana time which means I had to leave with Morgan at 5:00 this morning. Not fun. I stayed over at her house last night so we could have the car pre packed and just hit the road in the morning. We stopped at the cupcake place shop in Monticello on the way to Bement where she lives. Morgan is quite the hostess: she made a kick ass stir fry for dinner (Delish!) and she's got some really sweet cats.

We rolled out of bed at 4:30am this morning and were on the road by 5:01am. We listened to "What White People Like" on the way. I, apparently, am very white.

So the race: I got in a good warm up and I was feeling pretty good. Sat at the line and got cold. And then we were off. There was a crash about a third of the way through the first lap of the race and I was on the lucky side of it and got into a break with three Indiana girls and Liz from Tati/UCVC. I held on to that through the first lap and barely into the second, but I wasn't feeling too hot at that point. Well, actually, I was feeling too hot- by that time it was probably almost 70 degrees and I had my pearl thermal arm and leg warmers on. Not good. What was even dumber on my part was that I chased by myself through the majority of the second lap in between the actual chase group and break. Needlessly expending energy. The chase group, which had 6+ girls in it caught me and we worked through the third lap.

My favorite part of the race was when the Purdont girl rode up to me and asked if I was being lapped. Betch, please. (I made sure to beat her.)

The last 1k of the race wasn't all that exciting. We just sort of sped up to the finish line. I'm definitely not in any sprinting form so I don't think I even got out of my saddle at the line. Thinking I was leading Morgan out, I unintenionally won the group sprint. No epic bike throw, just sorta motored in.

We sorta rolled around for part of another lap and a couple miles down the road I got a really strange flat on my front tire. When I got back to camp finally I checked my back tire and saw that I had 60psi and hadn't inflated it that morning. So I had raced on low tire pressure. Great.

All in all I was pleased: I ended up 6th out of 30(+?) girls and I obeyed Rule No. 1. BUT! note to self for the next race:

1. Eat more breakfast
2. In the words of Dr. K (or is it leTSK?): Attack or get off the front.
3. Always always always check tire pressure prior to racing.
4. Don't dress for the arctic.

I guess the most frustrating thing about all this is that all of my stupid mistakes are things that I know, I just didn't do. I'm just really glad I have collegiate season to get this crap out of my system.

So now I'm back, a day early. Lame, know. But in my own defense, there is a 80% chance of thunderstorms predicted for Green Castle starting at 7am and 22mph+ winds. Great for a crit, if it were to even happen. Plus I have to get some work done on this thesis that apparently is due in TWO WEEKS (eek!). Annnd to top it all off, judging by how progressively shitty I have been feeling over the past couple hours, I think I am getting the flu. Again. Great.

Oh, and I got into UPenn and Texas yesterday, in addition to UOregon, UVirginia and Cornell U. Keep you eye out for a forthcoming poll and vote in the current one. Now if only that power tap would come in....