Got in on Friday to Rhode Island after an uneventful drive. We left a bit later than normal since some smart research by Marc and Steve determined that it is dark here by 4:30 p.m. – so there would be no pre-riding on Friday. Had a pretty chilled out Friday night. The usual – supper, race bag prep, and some television.

Saturday came early. We wanted to get in a few guaranteed laps so we hit up Goddard Park for 8:00 a.m. Early but the smart move. We managed to get in a few laps – with Marc helping me out with lines and the sand strategy. Thanks Marc. After the pre-ride I chilled out in the van until Marc and Steve’s race at 10:30. Gave me lots of time to drink my thermos of tea and get my numbers pinned on.

Marc and Steve’s race was pretty exciting today. Some new faces at the front (feel better Kurt), a few crashes, and lots of action in the pit. Steve rode a solid race – I’m not sure of his official result -but it was definitely in the top ten. Marc had a good ride today but a hard crash set him back a bit. I hung out in the pit and got to catch up with Josee, Steve R., Ken S. and Alex. There was lots of craziness in the pit today – one guy came in yelling – grabbed his bike and proceeded to knock over about 10 bikes. Another guy came in yelling quite loudly demanding his bike. Then a super calm and poised Dan C. came in and switched bikes – super calm and collected. Calm and collected won out with much less energy wasted.

After the guys’ race it was back to the car for me to warm-up my toes and get some pre-race stuff done. Switched some wheels around. Switched layers of clothing and then got ready to pre-ride again. The course had changed a bit since the sun had warmed up the ground and a couple of corners had become quite soft and broken in. Didn’t really get much more than a lap and a half in since the schedule was pretty tight. So I’m super happy I got in the two early laps. Then it was back to the car to put on the race clothes and get ready to go. Did a few openers on the road and made my way to the start. Awesome to see Sarah C. from Ottawa racing with us today – congrats Sarah on a great race.

I’ve written a race report and posted it. Suffice it to say – it was a good day on the bike for me. I overcame a bad start to finish in 8th position. A couple of things to change for tomorrow – better gearing so I can accelerate better and more aggression on the start. But overall, I’m happy with the ride. Best result ever in the New England Verge Series. Thanks for all the cheering and support out there – it really makes a big difference to hear your name yelled.

Had a good cool down and made my way to the gazebo to meet up with the gang. Discovered a great post-race meal/snack – oatmeal and yogurt – I made the oatmeal with water, mixed in a small container of yogurt and put it in the fridge – it cools into kind of like a pudding like texture. Highly digestible, good carbs and protein and just a little bit of sweetness from the yogurt.

It is Marc’s birthday on Monday so tonight the four of us went out for dinner. After a bit of driving and wandering we found a really good restaurant in Providence. We chased our Italian meal with some dessert. A nice change from eating leftovers from the night before in our hotel room. Happy Birthday Marc! Thanks to Steve and Josee from the nice dinner.

Tomorrow will come quickly so I’m off to bed now. Thanks again for the cheering. Shout out to Mark R. for a great race today – so nice to see someone pumped about their ride. Looking forward to another fun day at Goddard Park – word has it that day two will feature lots of twists and turns and a much longer sand section (glad I got my running legs in New Jersey). Amazing to see so many people out racing and cheering today. I’m most impressed with the size of the women’s 3/4 field (congrats Josee for racing today) – amazing growth in this category with some pretty strong women racing. Gorilla man was out again – heard he had to get a new pail to bang on as he broke the other one in New Jersey!

Okay – to bed I go. See you tomorrow. Lots of racing action in Portland as well this weekend. You’d think the season was just starting with the enthusiasm and numbers we’re seeing this second weekend of December.