SO DO YOU RACE INTERNATIONALLY?

That was one of the questions that I was asked after winning the Downtown Billings Crit last weekend. I went off the front from the gun and lapped most of the field, which gave me quit a bit of notority with the crowd. I was like a big time celebrity after the race. People taking pictures, asking questions, and telling me how great I was. I tried to be humble and downplay the win as much as I could, telling people I was probably a little more serious about this racing thing than the rest of the racers, and that I usually can't win like that in a race against more equal competition. It was basically like picking on a bunch of CAT 4's, but hey, It's still fun to be king for a day once in a while.

The day started with a 5k run. I am most certaintly not a runner, but my daughter sure is. She wanted to do the 5k, so I did my best to keep up with her. She ran it in 25:54, taking first place in the 15 and under girls catagory (she's 9), and beating probably 3/4s of the adults in the run. She is quite the little athlete.

Next up, after killing a few hours in the big city, was the crit race. It was a cool event with a good crowd. There was a beer garden and lots of excitment. The course, however, was shall we say, not quit traditional. It had four, yes four, U turns, yes, U turns, per lap. My biggest concern was getting crashed out, possibly getting hurt, and missing some of the "real" racing that is just around the corner. Against my better judgment, I decided to go ahead and race. The "expert" catagory (it was not a USA Cyling event) had about 15 guys, most of whom were kitted up and looked pretty fit. I figured the best way to stay out of trouble on a totally sketchy course was to try and get off the front and ride solo. A NRO rider, Jeff, I think, got the holeshot, but I got around him after a couple corners and never looked back. 45 minutes of microbursts later, I had lapped most of the field and took the win. The crowd seemed to be impressed.

My wife Tawnya was up next in the "beginner" crit event. I got changed out of my GAS kit, and headed back over to the course to cheer her on and take pictures, and thats when the paparrazi hit. I felt like Lance Armstrong trying to get through a crowd. I was unprepared, and even left my bodygaurds at home, bummer. Tawnya was looking good and riding hard, but I had a hard time watching her as so many people wanted to talk to me about how great I was. I assure you, this doesn't happen everyday, so I tried to oblige and give everyone a chance to get a question or two. OK, it wasn't that bad, but I was pretty popular all of a sudden. People were patting me on the back, asking about how much I ride, taking pictures, even asking if I race internationally. I assured that lady that I definatly wasn't that good, and in a normal event I would have been racing with more experienced racers, and in fact, there were other strong racers, right here in Montana that could have even beat me. I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't believe me, though. Yes, I was king for a day. But, back to Tawnya. She had a great race, riding strong for the duration, finishing 3rd woman, and beating many of the dudes. Way to go Tawnya, looks like all that spinning is paying off. Next up for her, the Peaks to Prarie cycling event. Better get that aero position dialed in!

The day wasn't over yet, as Mariah didn't get enough from her little run, and decided to hop into the "fun" crit to end the day. It was awesome watching her race. She was so serious, almost sprinting from corner to corner to corner to corner (you get the point), riding aggresive and having fun. She even got to sprint for the line against a guy on a red cruiser bike, barely nipping him at the line (thanks to a well timed pull of the brakes, thanks dude on the red cruiser!) Again, a great job by Mariah. She's the defending Rolling Thunder junior girls champion, as well as MT state Champion, girls age8 bmx racer from last year, and I predict some big things from her on the bike this season.

So, we all had a great day at a fun event. My 1st place prize was a bike donated to World Bicycle Relief in my name, which I thought was pretty cool. I talked with several of the racers, and some people who helped put on the races. Hopefully next year they can get more streets closed, make a better course, and some more of us racers can go put on a real show. I think I will ask for an appearnce fee though, since I'm such a superstar.

My head swelling didn't last to long, as the next day was spent chasing Frykmans wheel all around the Bridgers. Back to reality and the realization that racing is hard, and I am definatly NOT the king. The fun and pain of Roubaix is coming soon. I have been dealing with some knee issues that have kept me off the bike a bit, so the training has faltered a little lately. I plan on being as ready as I can be, though. Maybe I'll bring the bodygaurds this time, just in case....