I'd like to start this off giving you some good news to hear on Christmas, but it goes from bad to worse, but here goes.
Tasha wasn't 100% yet, so the plan was to pull the plug if she was off. She was sick in bed all day Wednesday and probably only eating some toast all day really effected her two days later. She started the race and rode a lap and half and just didn't have it, so instead of putting herself into a hole, she pulled out and called it a day. There is still a lot of racing left and sometimes, when you are recovering from illness, it's just better to save your energy, moral and effort for when it could be put to good use. Not only that but there were some pretty tric sections that you could crash severly if you wern't right in the head. The funniest thing she said was something that would of scarred her a year ago, was the only way she could go by people today. On the rutted, sketchy downhills, she just didn't have the push or the power to do any efforts on the flats or uphills. I was so proud to see her come off the course, just said it wasn't going to happen, it was a hard decision.
So the pressure was on me, as when Tasha is not shining I usually come around. Well not today unfortunately. The race started off ok, but then disaster. I ran up a section cause it was bottlenecked and my bike bounced off the frozen ground and my chain fell off. Then I put it back on as I was running...got to the top and it was off again, figured I could just shift the derailer and get it back as I was loosing ground, but it got completely jammed into the BB and a spectator helped me pull it out. Pause for a second, just remember this is the World Cup. So I finally get it back on and I start going ballistic trying to salvage a respectable race, well I mangaged to crash really hard on the downhill and really put the nail in the coffin. So I'm pretty much in last position, cause I pass like 6 guys who realized that the race was pretty much over and they pulled the plug...but I'm kind of stuborn, so just try to keep on pushing.
I'd like to say that I stayed positive, but I didn't. I wanted to throw my bike across the race track and wake up from this bad dream...I pinched my leg...ok I didn't, but the hematoma that had built up on my left hip felt like someone was pinching me. But once again, I just sucked it up. My decision to come here, my pill to swallow. It sucked, I sucked, it was aweful. Last place. All the hard work over the last year and it was as if I had just eat pancakes and Shwarma for a year and nothing was better, it was worse. I just got so mad, I just figured other guys ahead of me would quit, surely they could not take being so far back. I actually started riding respectably, but the damage was done, and there was pretty much no hope.
Then I remembered all the people that came out to support us at our event, all the people that have helped us out this year and if they were watching, I wouldn't want to let them down. It's ez when the going is good, but it was hard, not in the legs, but in the head. I also remember telling the Jet Fuel kids this year "don't ever quit", no matter what just keep on pushing, don't quit. I thought what kind of hypocritical role model would I be. Hey if your sick that's a different story as you can dig yourself a deeper hole, I just had shit go wrong and it's not like I had any other plans for the afternoon, so might as well just keep on riding.
It will go my way, there will be a time and a place, and it will fall into place.
Stick to the plan. This place is like a bread cooker, get it right and it rises, mess it up and its burned crispy, tates aweful and makes you sick. Good news is last time I looked, there was no shortage of flour in Belgium.
Fellow Canuck Wendy Simms, other wise known as DUBS had a good ride squeeking in the top ten and Aaron "School boy too cool for School-er" just made the last lap. It's always nice finishing on the same lap, he was pretty stoked.
Funny story. I did buy some Morgan Blue Bio cleaner that I was supposed to bring back to Robbie O, but I bought a plastic bottle and then had a vision of it exploding in the bike bag, so yesterday I used it to clean our bikes. I accidentally spilled some on my abdomen and it felt a little bizzare. Well later when I took my shorts off, to my suprise I gave myself a 1st degree chemical burn that made my stomach look like I had the plague. SO I rinsed it off, but not an hour later I had a huge bout of Nausea...it was so severe, I ran upstairs, fast, and I came so close to heaving...but I didn't want too, cause then I'd have to eat all those calories again...then it passed, but anyways the moral of the story is BIO cleaner must not mean BIO degradeable, but more like BIO Hazard. Also it is a bright blue color and almost looks radioactive, no kidding it does a good job on the chain.
Ok, I made myself laugh with that story now I feel like an idiot and a fool...but wait...I still beat Lance. Now I'm better. Ahhhh. Also I'm so happy for that my three years of nagging Tasha with "Nursly" advice has finally paid off. Remember Natasha is the child that used to run on the spot in her bed room and wore out the carpet, so for her not to race...believe me, she she has come a long way from the gym rat who used to train 25 hours a week when we met. See, if you nag people enough they will eventually give in, or divorce you...but we are not married yet, so....
DSJ
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