A Swarm of Bs and my first honey pot

OK, let me get this out of my system... I FINISHED MY FIRST DONALDSON RACE OF THE YEAR LAST NIGHT!!!! AND I FINISHED IN THE LEAD PACK!!!

So yesterday was a good day. Arthur took me to work so that he could tune up my bike and then picked me up for Donaldson. As I walked out to the car I noticed my FUJI was perched upon some sweet Cane Creek wheels, yippee!! As we rode he asked what I planned on riding. I told him it would probably depend on what everyone else was going to do.
Once parked I met up with Susan, Kimberly, Danna and Caroline for the GO pics and then Kimberly and I went off for our warm up spin to Golf Course Hill and back. Once lined up I decided I was going to do the Bs with Cissy. We started out and Abhey came around the front on the warm up lap. We got going pretty fast for a warm up lap, at least that is what my legs were telling me. Caroline, Danna, Cissy and myself stayed close to each other for a while. Caroline busted booty and went on several breaks, staying strong in each one. Danna repeatedly worked her way to the front to mix it up. Cissy was showing everybody how to hang tuff after 2 months off a bike!! The laps went on and on. I just kept telling myself to ride smart and find the right wheel. I was forcing myself to survive the accelerations and hills. I lost one of my water bottles i think on lap 4, luckily I survived without it. I heard Danna ask me as we headed out for lap 5 if I was gonna do all 6?? I told her I was gonna try. My brain arguing with me each time that I was done and could quit, after all I had made it to 4 laps, farther than ever before. But then my bull headed alter ego showed up and asked what the hell good are 4 laps when you can finish???

At some point I attacked on the start of a lap. I pushed back into the draft when they caught me. On the start of lap 6 we got stuck behind some student drivers, driving 18 wheelers no less. But they got out of the way and we proceeded to finish our LAST LAP. After crossing the railroad tracks Tyler accidentally pushed me right. I went into the grass. Luckily Cissy was behind me and she kept a big gap so that I could get back in, it only took THREE tries to get back on the blacktop. That last hill came and I was thinking "I'm actually going to do it!!!" The front of the group surged as people tried getting off the front. Riders behind me tried to maneuver around me. I went up a few gears and my legs were burning like a five alarm fire. I caught as many wheels as I could since I was about to pop myself. But it happened, I finished, I think somewhere between 12th and 15th.

I jokingly told Arthur that it must have been the magic wheels on my bike but he reminded me that it isn't the bike, its the rider. The best part was being able to, even if only briefly, celebrate with Caroline and Susan. I think I'm ready for next week :)