After finishing the Bar I realized that I needed to fill some time that was once used for studying. I had spent the past 4 years getting through law school while working full-time and having 2 kids to worry about as well. Then the months of May-July were spent studying from 8am to midnight prepping for the Bar exam. Since I had surgery to repair my Achilles tendon in Feb, it was high time to get some fitness and start rehabing not only my ankle but my entire body. So about a month ago I got on the mountain bike and did some rides with my sister and her husband only to get throttled by them both. I then began riding my road bike again daily and soon found a little fitness and just a sparse amount of lingering power.
I can't just ride my bike for fun and I really never have. Not since I was first on the bike and raced have I been able to simply take a ride and not start thinking about racing, training, diet and yeah...Winning! The logical thing to have done when I heard that there was a 3 stage Omnium bike race in Folsom this weekend would have been to go as a spectator, but instead I signed up for all 3 stages. The weekend started with an early morning Criterium followed by a Time Trial later that day and then the final day Circuit race on Sunday. I had decided that it was time to enter a weekend of suffering and to test of my mind and spirit.
Without going into too many details, I found my instincts taking over as soon as the first race began and the realization that I would be able to finish with the group. My month long training program after years off of the bike (and surgery remember) wasn't near enough to challenge for the win, but I did manage a 14th in the Crit, a 15th for the TT and finally the last day blasted out a 7th in the field sprint from a field of about 50. These efforts gave me a 7th overall and a pat on the back from my son. Next year I'll be racing again, but my goal is to help some local riders win and to teach them a few things about riding and racing and how to put the competition into the curb (maybe not that last thing).
Perhaps the biggest and most glaring vacancy in my "tool-box" the whole weekend was my ancient bike and technology in comparison to the new and exciting stuff cyclists are riding now.
Being 40 doesn't have to mean that I'm not able to compete (even on my relic of a machine). In fact this weekend showed me that with some fitness and training these young punks might have to watch out.
