Bartlett

The Wisconsin races were flooded out apparently and the Park District didn't want people riding at the venues so we took off to Bartlett. 2 mile loop mostly grass with the usual wind. Terrain was slick in the morning and then turned to super soft tacky by the afternoon races where you wanted file treads. They did a nice job using all the terrain at the park for a long loop, the small heckler hill climb and 3 barriers strategically placed downhill and 1 placed up hill to slow things down. Not too many places to rest.

Holly killed it in the women's race. Great start at the whistle. It was exciting to watch, super smooth and strong and the time kept building. First win.

My race did not go as well as I had hoped. I felt very rested but flat throughout the entire race and could not jump and accelerate. My legs were not hurting but could not go harder. I ended up settling in and there was a 5 man pace group gaining. I rode with Eric Sontag most of the race and we traded pulls. He did the 30+ race that morning and yet was riding very well this afternoon, pulling hard. Look at his results and you can see he's having an awesome year. As we traded pulls, we could not shake the chase group. Last lap, I try to go harder on all the hills and out of the turns and opened things up about 5 seconds. Took 3rd overall, a distant 3rd to Scott and some guy from Michigan who won the 30+ in the morning. It was great to ride with Eric so I could sit.

A hard effort Thursday or race day Saturday might have helped open my legs a bit. Still good time and great to catch up with alot of people I had not seen in a while. Next week, we'll hit Washington Park and then St. Charles and I am planning on sporting a grown in porn mustache for costume.