I hate being sick!!!!!

When I left for Arkansas last week for the race I felt horrible, my head hurt so bad I was taking pain pills and sleeping non-stop just to get through the day. The first day sucked but after that the pain faded and the snot started to flow. Better to slimy than to be in pain and by the end of the race I actually was feeling OK. The race ended Sunday and after the 4 hr drive home the bottom had fallen out again. All night I had gunk running down my throat and I didn't sleep much.

Monday was much of the same but by time we Tuesday afternoon rolled around it was time to head out to the Tue Crit. The KC portion of the Mercy Team rolled west toward Lawrence to meet up with a Adam and Colton before turning back and heading for the crit. All systems go, or so I thought......... 

The Tue crit started and right away the attacks started. I jumped with the first break and I soon found out that I couldn't breath. I tried sitting in, I even dropped off the break and tried resting in the group, nothing worked. I'm too old to be going full gas in a bike race with a tight chest and unable to breath, so I quit. I hate quitting any bike race but I do believe in the law of negative returns. For me to continue the race would not of gained me any fitness and probably made me sicker. Time to quit. 

So that was it for Tue night. I really can't say much about the rest of the race because I bailed out. 

Oh yeah, Stage 4 of the Joe Martin Stage Race. As a team we rode this crit pretty well. Most of the team rode at the front, I, on the other hand, did not. The final stage is a hilly crit that is reasonably technical. I was warned that I needed to start at the front of this race and stay there. So when they called us to the line I was in the 2nd row.........until they let 30 or so guys roll up to the front of the group and line up in front of us. Now I'm in the 2nd to last to the back of the group. That was the beginning of the end. As hard as i tried I could not get to the front of the group and every time I got close I got shuffled back on the climb. Bummer.

Overall I'm happy with how I rode in the Joe Martin Stage Race. I can see now that I was not at the top of my game but I guess that gives me hope for this weekend. That is if I can get this cold cleared up by then. What's up this weekend? 3 days of racing in St.Louis at the Tour de Grove.