Racers,

Jim H, Mike J , Bob Fielder, and myself made our way  up to the Fox River Grove Ski Hill for a little Fathers day pain and suffering.

The course is a 1.2 mile loop on closed roads, with a short but steep 14% climb that takes a minute or two to climb, and a screaming (35 mph into the corners) decent. I can’t say enough about how much fun this course is. The roads are closed so you have plenty of room to pass on the climb, and set up into the turns on the decent.

Race conditions hot hazy and humid. After warming up on the rollers for 10 minutes I realized I would overheat so I hit the local roads for a good warm-up and some ventilation(wind).

The race- 53 of us lined up for the masters 4/5. XXX as always had numbers, and the used them this race. The guns sounds and we are off full tilt XXX goes to the front and hammers it up the hill, over the top they let one guy get a gap and I cover it. This is the theme over the first few laps. After a few laps the field thins and Jim puts in a nice attack over the hill. He is able to get a good gap, but XXX was able to shut it down. Up the hill again the field thins even more Jim goes again and his attack is covered. With 2 laps to go the group is down to about 7 of us. and I am able to stay first or second wheel the whole race.  Up the hill 3 of us get a gap and crest the hill together, I am able to recover a bit and we cross the S/F line and here the bell ring, one lap to go!

Up the hill for the first last time I take a quick look behind and see one guy dropped and the other slowing. I decide to go all in and attack as hard as I can on the steepest part of the climb. I get a good gap, and put her in the big ring for the last part of the climb. Over the top and down the hill at 35 into the corners I take a quick look behind and no one is in sight. I keep going and  take one more look, still no one close. Here I realized the race is mine.. now for the fun part.

Not quite Alpe d’Huez but I am going to solo to victory and I have plenty of time to think about my post- up, I round the last corner and with 150 meters to go zip up and I start to coast into the finish line. Both hands in the air, hands pointing to the Tower jersey, The De Luca -one up one across, finally I cross the line both hand up!  A bit silly for a 43 yr old guy, but way too much fun. I might have thrown in a fist pump too.

I coast out of the course to cool down and I see Jim, he asked where I finished I tell him, and suddenly his face lights up and he says I must have finished 3rd!! He flew down the decent and caught and passed a bunch of guys and came in strong! So Tower crowds the podium again with 1st and 3rd.

I also raced the 4/5, spent from the first race I was able to finish a respectable 15 out of 65.

Doug

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