Texas Mike Race Results

The following is a direct quote from Texas Mike referencing his Houston Race Sunday:
Ok, here's the skinny: It was muggy, buggy and hot when we got to Houston. The race was in Bear Creek Park, and the course was great. Flat as can be, .8 mile long, not too technical. So what happened? We started with about 32 riders, and the pace wasn't super fast, but there were attacks constantly, with two teams beating each other up. Finally an attack went and stuck, and I tried to bridge across the gap since no one else seemed interested. Well, that didn't work. I got to within a few seconds and let it go, I just couldn't hold a 30mph effort any longer. The rest of the race I recovered, worked my way to the front several times, and tried to aid a chase, but the peloton was just too disorganized. I had a few fun moments, like when I kept freaking everyone out around me going through the hairpin and hitting my pedal on the ground. Heehee! Or when a guy wasn't letting me into the rotation and we kind of burshed up against each other, and I pushed him off me with my right arm against his at 30mph. Mercifully the end came, and with two laps to go I was spent, and with half a lap to go I didn't even fight for positon and finished second to last in the pack. I think maybe four or five dropped out. We averaged over 25mph for the entire race, so it wasn't as fast as I'm used to, but the heat, humidity, and lack of sleep due to events the night before stacked against me. Plus the easy ride that morphed into a long and hot one Saturday afternoon when it was 102 might have had something to do with it, too. I'm not making excuses, I just didn't have it. Plain and simple. I need more miles, more races, and more rest. Hopefully I'll do better this Saturday in Columbus, TX at another crit. We all have off days, and this is my first one of the season, so I shouldn't be bothered. Just feel like it was a missed opportunity.

This illustrates a couple of good points:

• Tapering is good just before a race
• Getting a good rest just before a race with a good nights sleep is critical to peak performance.

Mike's post race story says a lot about his sportsmanship and outlook on racing....all to the good, by the way! He sets a great example of what an athlete should be. Mike, Kick some tail in Columbus and I'm looking forward to hearing about the race afterward! Mikes blog is here. The attached photo is Texas Mike, by the way.