K. Exercises and broken seat posts.

What a weekend. Drove up to NJ this weekend with Barrie to do the NJ Tour of Denville/Basking Ridge Omnium. Races started on Sunday with the Tour of Denville and ended on Monday with Basking Ridge.

Did the whole drive wearing my leg warmers under my jeans. My brother was trying to talk me into getting the new pair of compression socks he had, but at $60 I decided to just wear my leg warmers. I have been wearing them at work for a couple weeks. There is definately a difference in terms of swelling. I used to have huge compression marks wear my socks were but since wearing the tights I haven't had any marks and no swelling.

We started the race with Myself, Barrie, Chuck, and Dave. Only a little over 30 started. Pretty small field but some good competition with the Argentinian Road Race Champion, Jason Snow, and the United team from NYC. Fast 1k course with a headwind on the homestretch. Chuck got away halfway through the short 25 mile race with Snow, Argentina, and two others. A couple of those guys bridged up and Dave was chasing but got stuck in the middle with no where to go until two others bridged to him. With about 10 to go I jumped out of the field as soon as we hit the wind and bridged up to Daves group in about a lap and a half. That was it for the field. Once I got to Dave I just sat on for a lap and then jumped again. I got caught pretty quick and we tried a few more times to get away and bridge to Chuck without taking anyone else with us but it was clear the other two werent going anywhere so we worked to catch the lead group of 5. At some point I came across a seat with a broken stem attached, lying in the middle of the road. I thought it must suck to be him. We bridged up with 2 laps to go. Just before 1 to go I tried to go and Sean O'Rourke came with but we were caught as soon as we hit the back of the main field out of turn 2. I went straight through the field and to the front out of the last turn. i thought I would lose everyone through the field but came in 6th. After the race I realized the one without the seat/seatpost was Chuck. He rode the last 15 laps without it and still finished 4th. Must be from all those K. exercises. Dave finished 3rd and Barrie finished in 16th.

We all stayed at Scotts house in N.J., the same place we stay when we go to Somerville, and had a pretty good time before the race the next day in Basking Ridge. Basking Ridge was a short drive from Scotts and took place on some of the same streets as the Ricola Twighlight Crit. The difference was the course went in the other direction with a long downhill sprint and long false flat on the back section with a small kicker just before the last corner. There were a lot more people today, around 70, complete with a Bejing olympian.

The race was pretty animated and we were all over the front and in just about every move. Chuck was up the rode with a WS UNited guy a few times but nothing ever stuck. I started to think it was going to come down to a sprint. Chuck came back to the group on the back section and as soon as we hit the kicker I took a flyer and a VanDessell jumped on my wheel with 10 laps to go. We had a small gap on the way through the finish but Sean O'rourke and Chris Schmidt bridged and after that it was all over. We worked great all the way until 2 to go. We had around 30 seconds and on the last lap I just sat third wheel for the entire lap. O'Rourke took us through the last turn and went right, while the VanDessel rider was second an went left. I followed VanDessel and I watched him zig right back to the middle of the road at the same time O'Rourke was zagging to the same spot. They both met in the middle and took each other out. I couldn't believe it and I saw it coming the entire time with my jaw dropped. I thought Schmidt was right behind me so I jumped way early. I turned around and noticed he went down as well. I felt pretty good and I was definately confident for the sprint but sprinting myself made it a lot easier. Unfortunate for those boys but...