Mock Grand Prix

Yesterday's Big Ring Racing Invitational Mock Grand Prix road race (also known as: 100% Big Time All American Super Happy Race Gathering) was a huge success. We had anywhere between 20-30 riders show up. Peter did an excellent job at organizing the event - which was a laid back/fun race approach. Prizes for first and last place were a nice touch too. Some Big Ring Racing schwag was handed out at the end of the race to promote the team's fantastic sponsors.

This was my first taste of semi-road racing and very much an enjoyable one at that. A lot owed to the fact that this was a 'fun' event and everyone involved were super laid back and had fun first, racing second. No egos showed up to race - just friendly faces and lots of laughs.

It was a suffer-fest for me, but I'd love to do more of this type of riding on a regular basis, as pushing yourself this hard can only be good for you (I find when I do road rides on my own I never push myself as hard as when riding with others - it's easy to be lazy when no one is watching you!) Next year I hope to show up with a clean set of lungs.

I personally learned a lot from my first road race -

• Lesson One: I may have made the mistake of posting my race tactics online, as many competitors knew exactly where I was going to strike and made their moves first. Next time no online posting and will do all my race prep and practice at night under the cloak of darkness and in disguise . . .

This should do nicely and won't attract any unwanted attention.

• Lesson Two: draft way more . . . why work hard when someone else can do it for you.
• Lesson Three: sabotage the competition, for example throw sticks into their spokes
• Lesson Four: start taking EPO at least a week before, I don't think that I got the full affects from the one syringe.

Lance even says, "Take at least seven days before. Count my fingers . . . I said seven."

• Lesson Five: be more aggressive with the SMACK talk before the race, for example, more threatening tones and perhaps a nudie of me riding the road bike. **Note-to-self: Though I can't be sure if my 'smack' posts encouraged more riders to show up to put me in my place, sparked the curiosity of some, or scared them away.**