Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Dazed and Confused

Competitors place their bikes on the ground in preparation for the Le Mans style start to the Metro Challenge WEMS races. I had been sick, headaches and extreme fatigue, in a way I haven't been sick since I started my CPAP therapy. Debated whether I should race this weekend but was feeling a lot better. Three laps and was egged on to do another. Would have had to increases my lap time and felt it would have compromised my safety. Was satisfied with how my body handled the heat though it is not really a hot Summer and the humidity broke after the first lap.

Here is a picture of the timing gods sitting in judgment. To gaze upon their radiant faces would surely mean certain death, or maybe they're just plain ugly. You can see the two chutes where the teams relay in and out. A well organized and successful event though attendants was down with the Border Battle, on the other side of the state, being the following day.

I had suggested to my wife that I would be going to the Border Battle, a five hour plus drive, and was met with;

"No Way!"

"You're kidding, right?"

The high gas prices deterred me from spending the money we don't have to go to the Border Battle and I eventually told her I wasn't going. I try to average under $100 a race, including bicycle maintenance costs through the season. An almost impossible task this year.

So I arrived home from the Metro Challenge and my wife had made large piles of spaghetti.

"Why did you make spaghetti?" I asked in dazed wonder.

"For your race tomorrow." she said.

!?!?! "I'm not going. ...I told you that already. ...You didn't want me to go."

She insisted that I had said I was going and was at a loss to understand what she was talking about. Confused, I decided it was still best not to go since I would get almost no sleep and the drive was long. I actually went on a long bike ride Sunday and felt great. Could have done the double header if we didn't have our retail business to run on the weekends.

As it turned out, those I am competing with in the series had little advantage to make headway with some serious Minnesota racers pushing them all down the finishing ranks. It was missing the Sunburst Showdown that really hurt me.

My wife's birthday is in two months and she already told me some time ago she wants to go to a Japanese restaurant on her birthday. ...What does that mean?

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