A Dish Best Served Cold

A crash on the Wild Goose State Trail last August left me with an injured shoulder and forced me to miss my softball team’s playoff game.  This week, softball took its revenge.  In Wednesday’s game I strained my right quadriceps.  It was pretty tender on Thursday, a little better yesterday and significantly better today but still not 100 percent.  I’m sure I’ll be ready for next Wednesday’s game, but the injury kept me out of today’s WEMS race at Suamico.  There was no way the muscle was going to loosen up in a 47-degree drizzle, and no way it was going to perform adequately over a 3-hour race.

So, now I’m two weeks away from the WEMS race at Greenbush, Team Pedal Moraine’s signature event.  Weather permitting—and assuming no more injuries—that will be my mountain bike racing debut.  This is getting ridiculous.  I’m not even close to where I thought I would be at this point in 2011.  I have no races under my belt, no mountain bike of my own, and I’m 316 miles behind last year’s pace.  Last month’s Cheesehead Roubaix is the one success I can claim this season.

The Tour of California begins tomorrow and Versus will have the broadcast, 4-6:30 p.m. (assuming there are no breaking developments in the worlds of bass fishing or bull riding).  That’s something to look forward to on a day that promises more crappy weather.  I’ll ride outside if I can, but tomorrow could be a trainer day.  Taking another day off is not an option.