Prerace day

Tomorrow is another race day, it's so cool to get the chance to do a midweek race. I haven't been able to do that since I lived in Utah. This one is the same as all the others though, 115 - 140 km, and windy. The goal, once again, is to finish the race. We have 8 guys going including me, so we have a formidable team showing up. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. Being the Americans we are targeted from the gun. Our uniforms are stars and stripes, so we stick out like a sore thumb, and because we are showing up en mass that just multiplies that problem. It'll be fun though.

The course is a 4 corner race with a roundabout, a couple of speed humps, and a few cobble spots, and don't forget the wind. The goal for me for this race is to stay hidden, don't go with anything if I don't have to, and finish the race. It sounds like an easy thing but as I saw Sunday it's not like home. I know I can do it, I just need to race smart and not use my energy where I don't have to. It's all about staying hidden for me.

Today, as a pre race day, we did 3 hours easy pace. Mixed in a few sprints for fun with the guys. Nothing too hard, and we always recovered completely from each effort. I really just needed to hit the ATM for some cash and that was kind of an afterthought. We did that on the way home, except that the ATM isn't on the way. It's more like a half hour out of the way. It's no big deal, just how things are.

Today I also had to get my race food together. I tried the rice cakes from the bakery last time, and while they were good, they weren't exactly what I needed for a race. This time I'm making my own. As this is my first time doing this I kept it simple, just a cup a flour, a cup of rice, 2 eggs, half a cup of applesauce, some honey, peanut butter, bananas, and jam. We'll see how they turn out. The bars will have everything I need for a race in them, so even if they taste terrible at least they are good for me. Who knows, maybe I'll find something that really works and then market it? I'm just determined not to cramp again at this race like I did Sunday, so I'm pounding water and eating right.

The Navigators are doing '3 Days of De Panne' so the house is empty without them around. Last night as the mechanics were getting everything ready they had Colnago after Colnago lined up, race bikes, TT bikes, spare bikes, and wheels 15 deep (Boras I might add). I thought about getting a picture, but I thought the better of it. I don't want to make everyone (including me) cry when they crash. Definately a lot of money involved.

Well the race is on TV and I need to check on my cakes so I'll wrap this up. I'll repost tomorrow with details about the race, as well as a few details about my rest day in Brugge (yes I did the tourist thing for a day).