It's a tangled web we weave, (pause) Corey.

Well, I didn't pull off the double, but I'm still happy with today's race. I had a horrible starting position. Last row on a narrow fast uphill start. When we got to the bottleneck when the path left the cement and hit a sharp "S" curve, I honestly think I could have stopped and drank a cup of coffee waiting for everyone in front of me to get through. I started moving up quickly after the first lap. I caught and passed Bryce, a kid I know from collegiate racing, and then crashed right in front of him going into a loose sharp right hand corner. He rode over my bike, but I hopped right up and got back on his wheel. I ended up passing him and moving up farther and farther until I settled into about 11th position. I passed one guy through the feed zone, and then on the last lap I passed an Al's Barbershop rider and moved up into 9th. I was chasing another Al's rider and thought I could get him before the finish, but I guess I let it all hang out, a little too far. I lost it in a right handed bend and slid on my left leg and knee right back into 10th position.

I still thought I had a chance to get back into at least 9th if not up into 8th, so I tried not to let the crash get to me, and I hammered out the rest of the lap, only to lose it in one of the last sharp corners. This time I knocked my rear wheel hard enough that it was like riding with my rear brake completely squeezed, and my handlebars were at at least a 45 degree angle to straight. I limped it in and got passed by the guy I'd passed in the feed zone to finish in 11th. I went into the race hoping for a top 15 finish and I guess I accomplished that, but the top 10 was so close that I can't help but wish I'd have at least held onto the 9th that I was sitting in. Oh well, that's racing, right? I took a chance and it didn't pay off. A very very wise man once told me, "It's a tangled web we weave, Corey, you have to be willing to risk losing in order to win." I guess in the battle for top ten, I risked losing and I lost. Overall I'm very pleased with how the upgrade went. I really feel like this is where I should be racing, and I have plenty of room for improvement.


Once again I had an amazing photographer making sure I had plenty of images of myself to sit here and look at all night. Carly Simon would be proud. It's a rough life handing up bottles and taking pictures, so I think this burger was well deserved.