Yeah...This Makes Sense

Sandbagger.

I'm at the point where I gladly accept this title. In fact, I think USA Cycling should have a class just for the sandbaggers...oh wait...depending on where you live...they do. Because in the NW you can file request after request after request to upgrade but until you fulfill their minimums to upgrade...you're bagging. At least that's what I thought, until I went to the Twilight Crit on Saturday...

I've gone to the Ballard Twilight Crit for the last 2 years and never had a problem signing up the day of. Granted, the last two years the weather has been on par with Tornado Tom in Night Club after having one too many beers...unpredictable, and usually ends messy. However, with the forecast calling for sunshine days and lollypops, I still didn't think the race would fill up and I wouldn't be able to register the day of. Turns out, this was the case. Sure, they had a "wait list" that gave false hopes to our overly spandexed wearing crowd that saw us standing around, tapping our race shoes like a line of tight pants wearing tourists trying to get into an exclusive club in Vegas. (The only thing missing was the velvet rope) And when it came time to start the race they finally gave us notice..."Sorry folks, club's full. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here." UNLESS...you know the bouncer.

As it turns out, you HAVE to race a minimum of 10 races to upgrade in the 'normal' categories...but so long as you show your AARP card, you can enter the Masters Category. And on this day, there was only 1 Masters Race to stretch the legs...the Masters Cat 1/2/3. Yahoo! Instant upgrade...plus they gave me a senior citizen discount!

Race details...so as to not bore you with yet another wordy race recap...

1) Holy Crap those "old guys" are fast! I don't know what the exact average was, but it had to have been around 30...the age you have to be to be a Master if you must know.

2) Had a second Mavic wheel failure in as many weeks (story to come)

3) Getting a flat in a corner while at speed almost always results in a crash (not me, the guy ahead of me)

4) I absolutely love my friends. For 45 minutes. At EVERY corner. Any racer around me heard SALLY! being yelled.

5) I might still be classified a Cat 5 but when sprinting for the finish, and your handlebar gets bumped, on both sides, at the same time...I know enough to tap the breaks and pull myself out of it. No sprint is worth the possibility of hitting bricks after 45 minutes of racing.

{I was looking for a way out...}

So what does this all mean?! Do I turn in my "Sandbaggers Local 206" card and continue to race with the Geritol crowd? Or do I continue to be a Cat 4/5 Pro for another 10 races and live out the personal glory in my head when ever I go to the races? Decisions....decisions.

As always Amara is awesome for coming out to snap picutres of these events. The Ballard Crit, along with the rest of the season, can be found here.