Boom shakalaka!

Sunday's race conditions were a little worse than last week's. It was raining pretty much all day leading up to the start, nevermind the week leading up to it. Motivation was low to get out there to test tire pressure and get warmed up, but I did have motivation to test out some flat out billboard pimpness in the form of a set of Easton Tempest II wheels.
Sick doesn't even begin to describe these wheels. Having 34c Challenge Grifo tires made it all the better. As if previous posts didn't make it clear enough, I rescind any negative comment ever made about tubies, cost be damned.

Anyway, with about 25 minutes to start time, I jumped out on the course. Hoo boy, was it nasty. I chose a false flat (~2% at most) to determine tire pressures, and was nervous about 23 psi but traction was the order of the day.
After dispensing with the guys that were driving their bikes - you know, steering and counter steering from every small change, I settled in. It was a definite powerman's course since there were at least two sections where it was faster to run on pan flat ground!



I ended up oh so close to the podium, but did not deserve... I was some 30 or so seconds off that pace in 4th place. At least I did a good enough job of representing those dope wheels, plus I got the result I was looking for for damned near the entire season. My best result of the season in the most miserable conditions of the season... and I was rockin' the belgian knee warmers. My blend for the day was Pre Ride Oil and Medium Embrocation, both from Qoleum. It worked. I had nary a problem... at least until about an hour after the race.
I had some pretty uncontrollable shivers that lasted for at least 30 minutes, but I think that was more a result of 4 hours of sleep with a little dash of cold weather thrown into the mix.

Later-