Tougher Times after Tulsa

Maybe I have been saving it up to write, however, as I have waited, my attitude has been here, there, and everywhere. As a racer, I yo-yo, fight, defeat, and reason with the voices in my head. Positive self-talk replaces Negative self-thought.
Tulsa Tough was our destination on May 29th. We set out in our handy dandy Suzybaru, and picked up our fellow bike racer friend Ben along the way. In dire need of coffee, or else someones head was going to be torn off...we grabbed the nearest Starbucks...whew, that was close.
Boogie, we did. 75-80 all the way with a slight crosswind, some drafting and a little friendly vehicle speed banter, we roll into Joplin for a little "detour" and some MO's Southwest Grill. Yeah Buddy...good pre-race love.

As we pull into our hotel in Tulsa, we say hello to LVG and Rebecca Larson, who are enjoying a wonderful "cup of tea" (nice English accent here) on the parkbench outside the hotel. Unload, chill and then head to the course. Oh the Blue Dome Crit feeling. The crowd, the dusk, the speed. This would be my third year, one year with rain, one year with dim lighting, and this year, which would bring warmer temps, and a full NRC boat.
Teresa and Jamie would be joining us later in the evening, after their later departure.
Ben would race before us, as we warmed up on the nice road North of the course.

Game Time? You betcha...We all stand at 50 meters from the line, like a retaining wall on each side of the flat stretch. Michelle Jensen would graciously offer me a good chunk of ice that I put in my sports bra to keep me cool(this chunk would be a small pebble at the end of the race).

We roll up to the start, I find myself in the thirdish row and on the high side of the first turn. No worries. I jet off the line and drilled it to the first 15. There would be early attempts for breaks, but nothing was making it. No one team tried to dominate, or should I say, actually accomplished, staying away. The pace was some 1-1.5 mph avg slower than I had been used to in the USA Crit Series we had done just a few short weeks prior. Add this to a 30% increase in field size and welll.....you get some carnage. One, Two, then yes three crashes that I knew of. the first was behind me. The second was in the last turn, where Virginia (Vanderkitten) acquired a broken collarbone and 2 broken ribs. The last and I am not sure what happened, or who was hurt, was just before the 5th turn at the figure 8, I hear metal on metal to my left, and easily start oozing to the right, then BAM, I see red and black back coming up at me and fast. It was like I was the Kung Fu Panda, I say the spokes, the wheels, all in slow motion, but moving very fast. The left(front wheel) just as I would have tagged i, turned. I poked my bars forward in the smallest whole to daylight and off I went. I couldn't believe this. With 3 to go, we head toward turn 7 and the pace slows incredibly all of the sudden. LVG and I are stacked on each other on the inside of the turn, and I say ever so softly, "come on girls, let's go", while LVG says "This is so uncool". We make it through, but the pace yo-yo is so disturbiing. With 2 to go, I motor and away we go. I find my spot..7th hole, in the last 1/3rd of that lap. Not sure what happened at turn 4 to 5, of the last lap, but I knew I was in trouble. I had been pushed out and had to dig. I found Tiffany Pezzulo (Dft P/b Treads), wheel and held tight. The last turn was smooth, but not as fast as I would have liked it. Shannon Koch, came high and then faded left across me....no worries, I say...I hit the accelerator to make up as much time as possible. Whew...Okay, I would take 13th. I should have put the pedal to the metal 2 turns earlier, but hindsight is just "ass"anine!!!

Day 2---Brady District to come...this is a good one!!!