Ken Woods

The first road race I ever did was Ken Woods, in 2004 (or was it 2003? Whatever). If I didn't get dead last, I was certainly close to it.

Like most newbie racers, I was feeling pretty confident in my riding abilities. Hell, I'd owned a road bike for almost 6 months, I was practically a pro. When I got to the starting line, I noticed that I was the only one there with hairy legs and mountain bike shoes. Freaks. I'd show them.

Having very little experience drafting, I got my ass dropped almost immediately. WTF was going on? I was supposed to dominate! I fought my way back onto the pack, then was promtly dropped again. That was the last time I saw them.

It was me and some dude with a mullet off the back, and he dropped my ass on the hill. A friend who had come with me to watch the race was waiting for me at the top of the hill. "Dude, I thought you dropped out or something. They're like 10 minutes ahead of you." Thanks a lot, asshole.

Well, I figured quitting was more shameful than getting last, so I trucked on. Alone. 42 miles in just over 2 hours, and I thought I was going to perish out on the road.

Nowhere to go but up.