Monday, May 15, 2006

fighting the good fight at the battle royale...



70-plus endurance cyclists lined up for the 2006 Cycle Works Battle Royale this past Saturday at Platte River State Park. In the end, Solo 24-hour National Champion, Cameron Chambers walked away with the title.

En route to victory, Cameron bested Cam Kirkpatrick and Jay Chesterman, who finished second and third, respectively. Jay passed me in Ruthies on the last lap, as I was stopped on the side of the trail having a conversation with God on whether I should continue or not. Yes, it got to that point...

Why was I at that point, you may ask? Well, I went out way too hard in the beginning, and paid the price on the last lap... and that's how racing goes. The "perfect" pace is often elusive, so you do the best you can with what you've got.

Bottom line, I'd estimate the race was 20-percent harder than it was last year, in-part because of the inclusion of the final (hateful) climb on the lap this year, and also because the competition was much deeper/stronger this year. I extended myself way further this year to get 4th place, compared to the effort I gave to get second place in 2005.

It was still super fun though-- that didn't change from 2005. I had a great time, my Salsa Dos Niner was PERFECT, and everyone at the race seemed to have a big 'ol smile on their face. It was just about the perfect way to spend a Saturday.

Thanks to Mitch and Mike for the great race pics too!! Great work guys!

My sincere congratulations to everyone who had fun on their bikes this past weekend! It's going to be great weather for Bike to Work Week, which is this week you may recall.

Cheers,
MG

5 comments:

debaser said...

Next time, less talking more riding.

Nice showing! Great pic too! Way to go Matt.

MG said...

thanks ganzel. i appreciate it.

you'd have been impressed -- i didn't talk much at all during the race. heck, i only stopped once to grab a couple of fresh bottles -- otherwise i was on the course.

see ya' in a couple weeks!
:-}
mg

cvo said...

way to go buddy, I knew you had it in you...

and good ride yesterday as well.

see ya either tonight, or tomorow for the monkey wrencher..

MG said...

thanks cvo. you rode great too! there are a lot of fast guys with endurance this season!

mw said...

duh na na na naaaaaa