Tour of Lawrence circuit race was this weekend. This race is on a great course that goes through the campus and is HILLY.
When I got out of the car it was 98 degrees with a heat index of infinity. It was "Africa hot."
This ended up being a race of attrition. Every lap we lost more and more people--riders would just pop on the sunflower hill and lose contact. We started with around 40-50 riders and with three to go there were less than 20 riders left in the group. I was feeling fine and under no real pressure....then the heat hit me like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, with about a lap and a half to go, I found myself dangling on the back of the group. By this time there were about 15 riders left in the group.
With a lap to go I began to lose contact on the sunflower hill. I reached down in my "suitcase of courage" and realized I'd only packed a "man-purse of mediocrity." The group of 15 riders road away from me. I road the last lap solo and finished 17th. By that time, I was ready to get the hell out of the heat and out of Lawrence. Such is racing. I should have packed two more water bottles full of ice water to spray on myself and keep my body temperature regulated--that would have helped. Hardest race of the year but fun. Highlight of the race was soaking in the fountain on campus post race.
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