May 03, 2012 (Beaufort, SC) – With two races down in the series I felt really good going into this one. My body has responded well and I wasn’t too sore or stiff after a solid rest day. This is something I do not take for granted. But as I write this report I feel like I have lost a fight. I will not be as fresh going into tonight’s battle.  My back and neck are really tight and my whole lower half aches.  It’s early and I know I will loosen up but the Beaufort Crit really took it’s toll on me.

I want to remind you that this series really is at another level.  I’m used to pushing the pace and attacking at will back home. I can be silly and stretch out the legs without worry. That just isn’t possible here. One silly pull or unneeded effort and you pay dearly – and I have paid dearly. One blown corner and you feel it right away as you need to sprint back on to the wheel.  It takes a little while to adjust to the speed.

We are averaging 50km an hour on technical courses. You have to corner at full speed each and every time or it won’t be long before you are off the back. Having 50+ guys DNF every night is proof of that. Beaufort really is an awesome course.  At first glance it almost seems like the way it is designed that it just can’t be done. There is a very long wide straight away that makes a very sharp left on to a single laneway.

The pack goes from 6, 7, 8 racers wide at 50+ km an hour and then funnels everyone into this tight little laneway. It is intense and it is amazing how it just seems to work lap after lap. I watch and enjoy in pure amazement every time it happens – yet it just doesn’t seem possible. It was great talking to the guys who were seeing this for the first time. Ken had done it before last year but both Logan and Brandon were seeing it for the first time. I knew what was in store for us but these guys needed to live it to understand.

The guys and I have been sharing our goals for this week and we decided if any one of us hits their goal we would celebrate with a bottle of champagne. I bought mine to show how sure I was I reaching my goal. Let’s just say it sits on the dresser staring at me right now as it didn’t get opened yesterday. Before I left for this trip my goal was to crack the top 10 in one of these races. After two races I upped it to getting on the podium. After last night’s throw down it goes back to trying to sneak into the top 10. Laugh it up. I was humbled last night.

I was in the hurt locker the entire time and was holding on for dear life. I wanted to quit and I almost did a few times. At the 30-min mark I was sure I wasn’t going to make it. Getting on the podium was a pipe dream.  Inside 10 to go I found a way to inch up to the front. With every passing lap I snuck around a few riders in the corners. I would gain three spots in a corner and the lose one on the straightaway.

I wasn’t getting up there quick but I was moving forward. With every passing corner things got tighter with guys taking chances and pulling off crazy moves to advance. I was one of them.  With two to go I got into the top 10 coming into the last corner.

There were five guys off the front and that meant I was sitting 15th. I came around the outside with a huge amount of momentum.  The last guy to touch his brakes wins on this one and I wanted to get a few more spots. I rode up the side an inch off the curb and squeezed through a few holes that I just shouldn’t have squeezed through. That’s when it’s too good to be true.  The group moved over to the right as we entered the last sweeping left hander and I was put right into this hole. I saw this thing every lap and it was deep.

Now I was forced right into it.  BOOM!  Pitch black darkness and I’m up on my front wheel heading for the barriers. I didn’t go over the bars but I did have to lock things up and come to a complete stop. The group is passing me like mad to my left and I get on my horse and stomp it as it now with one to go.

Let’s just say this lap was my fastest of the day. From the second I got clipped back in I was on the gas. I sprinted down the start finish and took the first corner inside. It was scary fast and yes I’m sure I scared a few around me.

Blasting out of that corner I once again went up the inside to the next left and made up a ton of spots on this one. Out of the corner standing I never let up. I was sprinting full gas and I still had half a lap to go. I took the last corner very hot and continued out of the saddle right to the line. As I crossed I was in full panic mode and couldn’t catch my breath.

That last lap was one of the hardest efforts of my life and I was now paying for it. I rolled around not pedalling and then all of a sudden I felt pretty ill. I was light-headed and needed to lay down. There on the side walk I was sprawled out in pain. I even felt pain when I was breathing and I was seeing stars.

I laid there for some time before a medic found her way over to me. I was in my own little world until she came over with water and a cold towel for my head. She was talking to me and I knew I wasn’t making any sense. I was like a drunk trying to pretend I’m sober.

I downed a Gatorade and removed my jersey to just try and cool down. As I started to feel better I spoke out to Ken my teammate how I everything was going so well and how I had worked so hard to get in the top 10 before I hit that hole.  That’s when the tears started to flow.  I had this emotion come over me and I just had to hide my head in that cold towel.

I really had thought I was going to get my top 10 today. I had fought harder than any other race and I was only one lap away. I had a good cry and then realized I was feeling better.  The medic said I wasn’t white as a ghost anymore and I figured if I was crying after a tough race I must be back to normal.

Full results HERE.

Next up Walterborough

Thanks,
Ed Veal
www.realdealracing.ca