Since getting home from PEI I have been enjoying a great deal of time lazing about on Chris' couch here in Ottawa. I've been enjoying some good weather, some fantastic, uninterrupted internet time and of course some fun with the Christopher. I'm still a little brain dead from the fatigue of the last month - so I think I'll stick primarily to picture telling. Above was me chilling with some reporters post-PEI stage win. I think I was a little excited. There is a video of my talking to one reporter - but talking is an inaccurate statement as I believe that YELLING would more aptly describe what I was doing. The first time I watched it I was incredibly embarrased....so I'm not going to put the link on here - but know it's out there ;)Anyways, yesterday I raced the Preston Street Criterium in the Little Italy area of Ottawa. The weather was CRAAAZY with some torrential downpours - but only in showers, and it cleared up quite nicely for the end of the race. Now, living in BC, we race in the rain a fair amount - but it still scares me a little - especially when I'm racing with a bunch of Ontarians (of which Chris' comment was that in his whole life he figures he raced in the rain in Ontario a grand total of 6 or 7 times). So I went to the front off the gun and didn't really let more than 2 or 3 people get in front of me. About 6 laps in there was a crash behind me and one of the masters racers I know pulled up beside me and said "don't worry - he'll get a free lap." At that point I figured out that we were in a break - which I was more than happy with. We kept working well together and built up a 20 second lead fairly quickly - and just before the end of the race we lapped the field.
Due to some confusion at the end (we caught the main field on the last lap), I got a little gapped at the finish and didn't manage to beat any of my breakaway companions in the sprint - but to be honest I was pretty fried in the last few laps anyway!
Honestly, I feel that the race wasn't as hard for the level of wrecked that I feel this morning - but I'll chalk it up to being a wee bit dehydrated (it was MUGGY here yesterday) and that being my first day of intensity on my bike since PEI.
Here's to Nats this weekend - TT on Friday, RR on Saturday - good times to come!
