The last lap of the night or affectionately named the "beer lap" was handled by Andy. I tried to pump him up as much as possible because I know how tough it can be to go out in the dark & cold night by yourself while everyone else is hanging by the campfire enjoying a few cold beverages. Anthony also missed the festivities as his brother Keith a GRT alumni had ran head first into a low hanging tree earlier in the race and had to go to the hospital for 2 rounds of stitches and a bit of handy work from a plastic surgeon. Get well Keith I hope the head heals up quick.
While we waited on Andy's return someone suggested a bit of old school hip hop and it wasn't much longer before everyone was dancing. I even saw some cardboard thrown down on the ground and various break dance moves being carried out.
As the hour approached we headed up toward the pits to await Andy's return. The music of choice in the pits was ACDC which of coarse we asked to be cranked up and of course we all broke out into a serious air guitar session. The air guitar was so serious and fierce that the promoters thought we deserved free t-shirts for our enthusiasm.
As time passed we realized Andy had been out on his lap longer than he should have been and once he finally rolled in we found out why. Just at the base of the hill he had flatted and didn't have much luck in re-inflating the tire. He had to ride it in soft running his bike through the rougher sections. Never the less even with a flat tire we still maintained our 3rd place in the standings. With Andy finished we retreated back to our campsite to finish the break dance session until the awards ceremony.
This year the prizes were better than I had ever seen them. The promoters had really come through for the top three spots in all the categories. The folks who put on the Hill of Truth race have really done a great job in the past few years making every aspect of this race enjoyable even for the spectators. I will continue to return to Haw Ridge to race my bike for as long as my legs will allow.
Probably one of the most important factors in my success is the help I received from Melinda. She's a great coach, cheerleader, pit crew, cook and takes care of me while I race. Thank you babe I couldn't do it without you.
No comments:
Post a Comment