Pioneers in the Park

El Guapo (blue shoes/6th bike) in the fast lane! Click on pix to enlarge

Crit fever for Jono and Ben as they prepare for Cat 5 launch

It was all smiles before and after the strenuous crit/grand prix at Pioneer's Park in Lincoln Sunday. First time critter Ben (and I think Jono's 1st also) was giddy with excitement about competing in this crit. Tried to think of clever, experienced things to coach Ben with, but the last words out of my mouth were "don't cross wheels with anyone." Racing in those tight turns and all the jostling associated with crits leads to crashing.

My race consisted of 18 racers. The 40+, 50+, and 60+ riders may be long in the tooth, but they still pack lots of punch. I tried for the first prime, but got dusted by Shim on the way up the big hill. It took me a lap or two to recover, then I rode up front till the end of the race. I marked a 50+ Cat 2 rider from Kansas as my man to watch. Turns out it was some other old fox from Canada that ended up beating me to the line by 3 seconds. 2nd place. 1st loser. At least I beat some mercenaries from KC, Kansas, and Iowa. But not that doggone Frenchie from Canada.

I did reap a grand $15 for my efforts. The payout was $90 for 3 places. I'm wondering what the 1st place guy got and the last place guy, if I only got $15? $70/$15/$5??? Curious.

Well, it ain't about the jack anyway, it's about the competition. It was fun and I felt great, even tho the suffering was intense. Need to get in shape and pick up that extra 3 seconds! No DC reward for second place. El Guapo