Working For The Weekend

You better start from the start.

Cycling is the part-time job for which I receive no pay but immeasurably valuable benefits.  The timesheet this weekend?  On Saturday I put in 6 hours of volunteer time for Team Pedal Moraine at the Greenbush WEMS race, followed by a 1.5-hour solo ride in the evening.  On Sunday I spent 2 hours watching the Giro d’Italia, 2 hours riding solo, and 2 hours watching the Tour of California.

But that’s nothing compared to the time I invested in cycling last weekend, which in turn will pale in comparison to the time I invest next weekend.  The Crystal Lake Classic—WORS race number 2 of 12—is 208 miles from home.  I’ll head to Rhinelander on Saturday for the pre-ride, camp overnight, then race on Sunday—a 30- to 36-hour period during which my whole existence will revolve around the race and the activities that support it.

The training plan for this week is pretty specific: I need to work on my start.  The Rhinelander course begins with a fairly long stretch of gravel road before the first section of singletrack.  In theory, that should be a good fit for me.  Time to lock out the suspension fork and see what kind of sprint I can produce on a 29er.