MBGP

What a weekend. First let's get the Green Trolley out of the way. The course is a 3 corner and a sweeper, with a short steep hill before the long drag to the s/f. Good course, and we (cat.2's) had our own race. So about 50 of us lined up and off we went. Bones and I were the only two down there, and we were agressive. That was great, up until the point where the only move that stuck was one we were in. DAMN IT!!!! NOT AGAIN!!! I got in the first chase group, and ended up 7th across the line having never caught the 5 man break. Opportunity...lost.

That was Saturday, but Sunday was the big prize. The Manhattan Beach Grand Prix. It is a 1.3 mile "hotdog" shaped course. There are 4 turns, but in reality it is 2. You do a 180 at the top and a wider, fast 180 at the bottom. The bottom turn is a fast scary turn, and the last lap is always very stressfull heading into it, but I am getting ahead of myself.

We started with a 5 man team and we were looking good. We scooped up 6 of the ten primes during the race. I got two of them, including a $180 LAS helmet, which can now be found on a very popular website called ebay. Thanks MBGP. About the half way mark some terd from a team in LA who will remain nameless (it ryhms with melons and is also a woman's name) did his best impression of a cat.5 and tacoed himself into the inside curb for no reason at all. This guy has done a total of about 15 pro12 races and never the MBGP as a 2, so he thought he was the poop out there. Throwing elbows, moving around the front like a f&*king patron, until he decided to tangle wheels with another racers and send himself flailing into the curb. Ever seen a grown man's spine bend 90 degrees the wrong way before? It's not pretty. He was carted out in the meat wagon. See you next year, bud. The fun times didn't end there. On the last lap, in the top corner, I was hopelessly boxed in, and yelling at a teammate to get us out. Just then fate smiled down upon us, and crashed four more overzealous racers. That opened a hole and out we shot. Just then, fate smiled once more, and gave me another teammate. Joy of all joy's a free ride to the front. As we started down (yes the approach to the last HAIRPIN TURN is downhill) I bumped my way into 6th wheel, a good spot, but not great. Lady luck is a fickle bitch and all the good luck I had at the top ran out in the final corner. Another slightly overzealous racer decided the fastest way through the final turn was at warp speed on the outside. As a knowledgable cyclist I knew that was not the best of options unless your ultimate goal was to find yourself sprawled out across the pavement leaving bike parts and body parts strewn about as you slide to a stop on the other side of the corner. That is what this moron did. The bad news was, he swerved just as he was about to experience what it feels like to aquire road rash. He swirve was directed under my bike. A quick tap of the breaks and slight adjustment on my part assured me that I was not going to topple over, however, in an effort to keep myself physically well I opened a gap of about 10m to the leaders. Two other guys got past on the inside. Not to worry I passed them and one more for 6th place. All in all a fairly productive MBGP, but not thre result I was dreaming of. It would have been nice to get the win for the boys, but alas it was not meant to be. Drama managed to get my wheel as we headed into the final turn, and he was the unlicky recipient of a trip into the barriers on the far side of the turn thanks to our friend on the ground. No skin lost, just a broken bike. I would prefer to loose some skin rather than break the bike, but that is just me.
That may be it for me and my dreams of being on the podium any more at MBGP (I podiumed there as a 4 and a 3). I am a mere 7 points from being a 1, and there is no chance in hell I am podium material in the pro-1 race. Therefor I bid a fond farwell to my podium days at MBGP, I will miss you. That is until I hang up the fast wheels for some old timer wheels and race with the masters. They won't know what hit them.