What did we do today? What was it like?
The Tour of the Gila Silver City Criterium, which is like blasting your way up a short hill as hard as you can 40 times followed by a downhill into an obstacle course of speed bumps and potholes.
How did I do?
Not bad actually. Yeah, I lost some seconds, but I…actually enjoyed…the crit?
Quote of the day
“Peter, I got you a homestyle meal from McDanks!”
Henry to Peter on the team group chat. Peter hates Mcdonald’s, which somehow makes me question him as a person.
“Thanks for doing nothing Matti!”
Henry to me, after coming over to my family’s Airbnb for dinner which my wife and mother-in-law made.
“Are you guys doing a group poop?”
The kids REALLY enjoy each other’s company.
“If you get in the break and put 7 minutes on the field tomorrow, I will give you $100”
Henry to Peter after Peter promised to get in the break on the Gila monster stage tomorrow. Henry is a notorious tightwad that ate cardboard discount bread slices during every leg of our trip and wouldn’t give you a dollar if you were dying.
“How do you psyche yourself up for a 90-minute crit?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out.”
My mother-in-law to me before 40 laps in 85F Silver City heat on a course with a big hill every lap.
What I hated about today
Every year I visit Silver City I splurge for race schwag and picked up a 35th Annual Tour of the Gila pint glass which I set in a bag next to a few barely cool rocks the kids got at the New Mexico Geology Society’s farmer’s market. What happens when rocks and a pint glass go head to head on a seven-block journey around the Silver City downtown? The pint glass loses.
My goals for the criterium in this order was:
I got two out of three and as the laps ticked down to ten I felt so good I thought to myself ‘maybe I’ll send a lap for the bois.’ Then I remembered the Gila monster Road Race is tomorrow and I continued sucking wheels.
Chaz rolled up to our house on the crit course first and said, “Yeah I’m going to take a shower” and then sat down on our couch and didn’t say much.
Gradually, I made conversation about how the crit went.
“Yeah, after Redlands criterium I was so freaked and thought every lap was going to be hell but then it was so chill,” I said.
“Yeah, I missed my clip in like four times, went ham to get to the front, and then it was EZZZZZZZY.”
“Oh yeah, by the way, how did you do?”
“Idk, I think I got 10th or something.”
“TENTHHHHHHH PLACE!!!! DOOOOODDDD!!!!”
Chaz is a hell of a bike racer, but I’m pretty sure he’s never landed such an impressive result in a UCI race, so I didn’t know how he looks when he’s proud of himself. It turns out he downplays it and you have to drag it out of him!
Honestly, hearing about his result would have been the highlight of my night if the garlic bread at dinner hadn’t been so good.
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Our Airbnb was right on the crit course. Every lap I my family stood on the fence and cheered their faces off.
My wife howled at me like a Coyote.
My mother-in-law took mad footy.
My son yelled “GO RIOOOO” and called lots of people not me “Dada.”
My daughter danced in her red dress.
It means the world, man.
I’ve spent years failing badly at bikes so you don’t have to. I have a mortgage, two kids, a wife, a dog that doesn’t listen, a weakness for Miller Lite, and fish frys – but I can still turn a pedal if I have to. Chances are we’ll get along just fine.
C’mon now – let’s get fast together!
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