Well yesterday's CCTT was shaping up to be a great race... the weather was great, I finally got in a good warm-up, I felt good, and being my last CCTT this season, I had the motivation to kick some butt! Unfortunately, I got a front flat going up the hill and the race was over for me. :( I walked back toward the start for a while before a kind recreational cyclist rescued me and donated a tube and the use of his pump. I didn't have any desire to finish the course at that point (why bother?) so I just rode back to the start (avoiding crossing the finish line) and let them know that I DNF. I was pretty bummed about that because it was my last chance to get anywhere close to this season's goal. This season was really disappointing for me compared to last season. I guess I just need to train harder for next season.
And for some icing on the cake, I got a rear flat on my lunchtime ride today! Argh! I suppose it could have been worse... at least I had everything I needed to fix it. Had I forgotten to put my seat bag back on after the race last night, I might have been stranded out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but mooing cows.
Well I'm already starting to get nervous in anticipation of this weekend's Ward 150. There's no way I'll be riding 150 miles, but I plan to do one of the three loops (50 miles) plus riding to and from the house for a grand total of 62 miles (according to Erik's calculations). What makes me nervous is that I've never done this climb up to Ward so I don't know what to expect. From what I hear, it's a pretty tough climb, and with the shape I'm in right now, I predict that it will be very painful. Erik says I'll be cursing at mile 15 because it's so steep there... Joy!
