Gents Race Preview 1

From my ride out in the country 3/2/23

Well, it is less than two weeks until the Gents Race and I.......I am NOT ready!! This Spring , so far, has been a rotten one for riding here in this locale. Things started out great, but they went down a path of more Winter-like conditions and that has prevented me from getting any significant rides in at all. 

Now, a little cold, that I can take. Wind? Not that big of a deal. But throw in snow, ice, and wind chills in the single digits? Nope.... Not gonna do that. And then....

I got sick. Some nasty cold thing. It has been a drainage down the back of my throat that collects until some thick, gooey mass and then I wake up in the middle of the night, cough it all up, and then sit there unable to return to sleep. My sleep patterns are in rags. 

Not that it has mattered much. I mean, with the crap weather, I am probably not going out anyway, but all of this is making me anxious and feeling unready is not fun. I suppose I am not the only one, I only feel that I am the only one. Which is bad enough in itself.

The Raleigh may see duty as a training bike.

All this cold, wet weather also may be lasting long enough that the sandy roads South of Ames where the Gents Race course is may be soft and inconsistent, much like last year. Maybe - hopefully - not as wet at the beginning! 

The good news about that course is that it dries out in a hurry. Give it a bit of Sun and wind and things straighten right up quick. Like last year when it was a mess to start out with and then a bit of Sun and wind straightened things right out. But I expect that whatever the weather is, it won't be "good weather", because "Gents Race" and that should be explanation enough. 

I mean, yeah.....there have been good years, but they are not the norm, and I don't expect that anytime I go into this event that it will be "nice" weather. It would figure in that since I am in no shape to ride a metric century that the weather would also be sucky as well. Why not? 

I say, "Bring it!" 

At this point, I have to give up any expectations that I will be comfortable, ready, or in any modicum of "fitness", whatever that is, for this event. I will just plan on getting there, riding, and trying to have some fun. If that can happen I will be satisfied and I will consider the event a success for myself.