San Dimas in the BOOKS!

And it's DONE!
What a topsy-turvy, up and down, high then low San Dimas.
I already covered what happened in the TT.
The road race was crazy. The conditions were exactly what I hoped they'd be: freezing cold and soaking wet. It's not that I actually enjoy racing in that...

Of course not! It's miserable. The rooster tails that shoot off every wheel send a constant stream of dirty water and road grime into your face. Think of it this way: the water goes in your mouth, so it's like licking the road for four hours straight. You either wear glasses (which is like driving through a thunderstorm without windshield wipers), or you don't (which means you blink a lot of grime out of your eyes, but at least when you can see, you see clearly). I chose the latter. You get soaked no matter what, and your core temperature drops steadily throughout the entire race. By the end, unless you have neoprene gloves (GOOD CALL KEVIN), your fingers no longer work, and you have to use your palms to shift gears. Which is awkward, especially when you're shivering, and going 30 miles per hour (think about it). Racing in freezing rain sucks -- there's no two ways around it. 

...it's just that I tend to do better when the weather sucks. And I won't deny I felt strong. In cycling they say "you can either be the hammer, or you can be the nail." Well for the first five laps (of 12), I was definitely the hammer. Aggression was my middle name, and it felt great to let Krogg take a few swings with the ol' battle axe.

Lap 6.
Morgan went up the road.
Crash! Somewhere back there Serge and Kevin got caught up in a crash. They're gone. From seven down to five.
Wow. The breakaway might stick. Morgan might take the Jersey here.
Logan feels great and is queuing up for the sprint!
CRAMPS! MOTHERFUCKER! CRAMPS like BAD cramps going over the climb the final time.
Finish. Morgan 5th. Logan 8th. Me? Off the back, but within reason.

Holyshit:
MORGAN...IS...IN...YELLOW!

Letting that sink in. GO TEAM EXERGY! Wait...uh-oh. Now we've only got five guys left in the race, and we've got to defend a one second gap for 90 minutes with plenty of time bonuses up for grabs. It's a puzzle, and a tough one.

FUCK -- WHAT?!!

The following penalties have been assessed according to the UCI Scale of Penalties per USAC 3B11 - Category A race: 

12.1.040.19.2.2 Sheltering behind or falling into the slipstream of a vehicle for some time.

#3
Morgan SCHMIDT
Team Exergy
B0189118
$50 and 20”

Are you serious? 20 seconds time penalty? For drafting off the neutral support car after he flatted? This can't be happening. That moves him from 1st to 6th. Wow. Well never mind. Tomorrow just changed dramatically.


Crit.
Again, I need to do better. I did better than last time, but that doesn't change the fact: today was not good enough. I rode in better position, and found the wheel of my teammates towards the front at least a couple times, but I hit far too much brake in far too many corners, and blew my legs to smithereens with half an hour left on the clock. Serge and Morgan got in the break and put the proper pressure on the race. But Logan was alone on the last lap, and that's not how you win bike races -- at least not how you win them often.

Krogg gingerly negotiate corner. Thanks Veloimages

And then it's over. Over and out.