Mothballs Race Reports

I sure am glad these race reports keep coming in. I enjoy getting a feel for the action. Thanks!


Early report form the Mothball's

Bill Cutler 3rd in the 5's (1st podium for Bill)!
I was 4th in the 45+
Pete Clements was 5th

Cat 3 Matt was you guessed it 2nd!!!!!!

Ken and Dano were between 4 and 7th in the 4's

Aaron Long was tape 5 ish in the 3's..

Fun racing today.. More soon,

Dave





Hi all!

It was so great to see so many Chicken Ranchers out all day...well, all
Morning, anyway. My race was not until 3pm, and by then most of you
were all probably at Super Bowl parties....but some (one) of us were
(was) still out there for 50 minutes of fun/pain.

I lined up with about 55 (!) women in the 1/2/3/4 race. It was an
impressive field....one of the largest to date, and I'm sure the largest
Mothballs has seen in awhile! There were some fast girls there, lots of
1s and 2s. I was flying solo for this one, being the only girl Rancher
to race, and so my strategy was simple: Don't let anything get too far
away, and try my hardest to be in any break that goes.

After a few laps of sketchyness....and a few halfhearted attacks by the
NOW girls, a break went about 1/3 of the way into our 50 minute race. I
was on the outside, about halfway back, and I saw my friend Heather on
the inside also thinking about bridging, and I went for it. I had so
much momentum, that when I caught up I actually sort of went by them!
Anyway, it was good, and there were 7 of us. We organized quickly and
got a good gap on the field. I didn't know how much time we had on
them...but at one point i heard someone on the field say 30 seconds. I
knew there was some horsepower we had left behind, so it wouldnt be
easy. We dropped Heather after a couple laps, and then there were 6. I
was pushing the envelope, but feeling ok. I managed to sprint for a
prime ,my first ever ,and won! I also lost one by a nose... oops. We
all worked hard in the break, managed to keep everyone motivated, and
hanging on. I could tell everyone was getting tired. THe problem was,
I didn't know how far the main field was. WE lapped probably 15-20
people, but I knew there was a strong field chasing. So when we had 3
to go I know I had to bury myself. I ended up dragging the field around
the last lap so they could all sprint around me at the end. Smart move
(not!!!). oops. My thinking, however, was that if the break stuck, I
would at least get top 6, but I didn't want to have done all that work
only to get swallowed up in the end... Turns out we had a HUGE gap and
it was a non-issue... I guess it is a learning experience. :-)

Bottom line: I got 6th in a 1/2/3/4 race. All the others in the break
were 1s and 2s, and the next highest 3 finisher was 12th. I won a
prime, and I earned some respect. Everyone in the break seemed to know
each other, and afterwards they were all asking me who I was! I know it
was the magic of the Chicken Ranch Skinsuit...oh, and just maybe it is
from hammering with you guys all the time! It was the hardest I think
I have ever pushed in a race. On the last 3 laps, my heart rate didn't
go under 200(!) and I didn't even know I had a 203 in me! I do...

Anyway, so I know you were not there to see it...but the long girl
Rancher today worked hard. And got a good result for the team. And she
is severly jet lagged and going to bed now.

G'night all! I watched most of you today, and I've gotta say, this team
is awesome! Not only do we have SO MANY PEOPLE in nearly ever race, but
we get the results, and have a lot of fun.

Congrats! When's the next one?

Kimberly

Just a few quick observations:

1. Why do so many people in slings and on crutches show up to watch Crits (not counting Barney)? Nothing freaks me out more before going out to do a crit than seeing someone hobble up with pins in their legs.

2. In the porta potties, what are these people eating? If someone in my household had that kind of action going on in their digestive tracks, we'd be at the hospital right now.

3. There's nothing cooler than seeing moms and dads cheer on their kids racing, no matter what age.

4. There's nothing cooler than having your own kids cheer you on (thanks Charlie and Maisie)!

5. Is it just me, or does everyone except for the Chicken Ranchers seem so serious?

6. How come they don't do podium ceremonies? Here you bust your ass for a top 6 placing so that you can go pick up $15 from Angie Bell (who by the way does an awesome job and even includes a nice note about seeing you at Mothballs again next year). No bash on the organizers, but it sure would be nice to see who beat who (or is that whom?).

7. Do aero wheels really work? It's tough to tell as there are some really fast guys out there using 32 spokes.

8. Is it better to warm up on a wind trainer or ride around? I saw way fewer wind trainers in the parking lot this year. Is that fad over? If so, I can't wait to sell mine.

9. The more I see last year's Chicken Ranch kit, the more I realize how ugly that thing was (Druber, I still love ya).

10. Why are the officials so angry? Someone asked if the lap cards could be raised a bit so that you didn't have to look down to see how many freakin' laps are left. You would have thought the official was asked to strip naked and run on hot coals by the tone of his response.

Anyhow, I sucked in the 3's. I was in good position in the final corner and then got pushed outside (way outside, like to Hollister). As usual, Matt killed it and Aaron got a high placing. I freewheeled in to save my sprint for the 30+ 3/4 Worlds. By the way, it's always fun to race with Aaron, Matt, Dave, and Gabe, but adding in John and Tory has been awesome. Those guys like to attack.

The 30+ 3/4 was immediately after the finish of the 3's. I don't think I've ever done back to back crits before. Bill Cutler (who heroed earlier in the day for a 3rd place) dutifully delivered my bag to me in between races with a fresh bottle, Red Bull, a Gu, and a nice rub down. Well not really a rub down, but the way he held my bag out towards me, you would have thought he was the ring bearer at a wedding.

The 30+ 3/4 was pretty smooth, not too fast until Larsen got in a break with 3 other guys. They killed it out there. With 3 to go, I thought it would stick. With 1 to go I wasn't sure. I was a total spectator until the back stretch when I realized this thing might end in a sprint. Dano did a great pull to get me near the front and then Gabe was up there going good. I wasn't sure what I had left but I sprinted to 2nd place. Really fun to race with Coach, Mitch, Brett, and all the Ranchers. Finally, Larsen's effort was amazing. My prediction is pops is about to peak again and nail it.

Bling.