Well, it wasn't the MOST painful thing ever. We rode super slow for the first 45 minutes. I think we started with about 20 riders. There were a couple of attacks just before the hill. I began the hill about in the first third of the pack. It got strung out and I thought I'd catch back on to the group on the descent. Unfortunately, there were two groups of 5-6 riders up the road. The first group was trying to hold off the second and the second was trying to chase, and I was...chasing. Noreen and I worked together at the bottom, but after a while I looked back to say something to her and she wasn't there. I knew the next hour and a half would be less than fun, in the wind, alone. I caught another rider a little after the staging area, then I caught another a little further along. Finally, just after the turn to go to the hill, I caught up to Jill Wascom. We said hello and worked together, but she was having knee issues. We helped me up the hill and I pulled her down, but after a while I pulled away from her. I think I finished somewhere around 10th, based on what I could see ahead of me. I felt strong overall, and know I did a lot of work, but it just wasn't going to happen out in the wind alone.

Why do women visit so much? Is it really because we were going so slow? Do they really have that much to say? Argh! I should have jumped a couple of times just to get the group to shut up a bit, but felt too comfortable spinning and watching the sheep go by. Who knew what would happen? I think I will at Banana Belt, but it's hard on that race, when you're going up or down hill most of the time.