I Have A Need For Speed

It's and addiction, and makes crack look cheap and weak. Waking up early to sneak in some extra miles on the commute, spinning my legs out on my lunch break to hopefully get ride of the lactic acid that has built up in them, always thinking of the next race and when I will get my fix, and of course the fact that my basement and car always look like a bike shop has exploded in it. These are all signs of my addiction to speed and the racing that has inspired it. I know I don't race a Top Gun inspired bike, but this year has been a summer full of racing on the road, and I have a need for speed. I'd like to thank Adam for trying to keep things updated on here about racing, and linking to the team site. The upgrade to Cat. 2 has gone fairly well so far. My first race was a touch rough as I raced the Elk Grove 1/2 race and felt starstruck and outgunned from the start and didn't feel like I could stay on top of a gear and was unable to mentally fight for position in corners resulting in me missing the split in the field and finishing in 30th, 5 places outside the money. I know I am supposed to be happy as so many people got shelled in this race and it was a learning experience, but I am never happy when I ride like a wuss. This past weekend was a bit of redemption at the Meijer Grand Cycling Classic. This was now a Pro/1/2 race with Bissell bringing a full roster of pros to their sponsors hometown race. In addition to Bissell, Kelly Benefits sent a squad, Kenda Pro brought a bunch of riders, the Panthers fielded an army, and Subway-Avanti had three very strong riders in the field. Adding all of this talent to the already fast Michigan race scene made for a very fun day. Early on I still suffered from the feeling that I was recently upgraded and didn't know what I was doing in a field this strong. Once I settled down and realized that I had family, teammates, other racers, and of course the Founders team yelling at me to move up and do something I settled in and realized while faster than any field I had ridden in all year it was still a field I could handle and a course that suited my riding style. About halfway through I decided to stop hiding out and did some work, made a couple short lived break attempts, and helped pull back another one or two. I got caught a touch out of position in the sprint, but still managed 15th place which got me my entry fee back plus a little bit of pocket change. Ben Jacques-Maynes finished a place behind me and I am going to claim that he was trying his best to beat me(Ok fine so I know he wasn't but it makes for a good story.) Tom Zirbel won the race after spending a good chunk of the day in a break with former MiScene standout Jake Rytlewski. A great confidence building race for me, and now I can't wait for Ada and Gaslight. If you are in West Michigan stop by one of these races and enjoy watching some of Michigan's best crit racing. Dan Socie took some awesome pictures downtown, check them out here.