Nebraska

Friday we loaded up the wagons and headed out to Lincoln, NE for a stage race. The drive down and back weren't that bad, it was only a seven hour drive and most of the time in Carlos' Denali there was the DVD player to keep me occupied.

We got into Lincoln mid afternoon and headed out to the crit course to get in a ride to loosen the legs up after sitting for so long.
The road race was Saturday morning. It was a pretty short race, only 60 miles, but it did have some big rollers that wore into you. After the first 25 miles with nothing breaking off the front successfully I went on an attack with a racer from Pedal Pushers. We made it a few miles up the road when a chase pack of four other racers caught up to us. The six of us worked well together for the remainder of the race, putting up to three minutes between us and the peloton. However it fell apart the last few miles as everyone seemed to want to skip turns pulling and rest their legs for the sprint; this cost us, we only had a 1:45 over the peloton at the finish where I got fifth.

Feeling a little spent we laid around and rested up for the 13 mile time trial that afternoon. I will be the first to tell you that I am far from the best TT'er, but I did get 7th in the TT, and moved up to fourth overall, but the 1:45 lead I had over everyone else was shot down.

That evening it was late by the time we got to eat.

Seth giving the look while we wait for a table at Outback.

Eating with a bunch of hungry cyclists is something else, no other time will you see some of the smallest guys eat so much.
Brian H. looks like a small child on Carlos' lap.

Sunday morning was the Crit. It was a 2.2 mile loop with a pretty killer hill at the finish. We drove the pace most of the time, either Seth or Carlos drove it hard, or I jumped off the front to see if a chase would start and push the pace up more. In the end it was a mess at the finish and I lost a spot in the GC falling to fifth when a guy right behind me in the GC got a time bonus at the finish line.

Seth finished 2nd overall thanks to his impressive TT time, while I was a disappointing fifth.

But props to Randy who finished third.

After the crit and before hitting the road we made a stop at King Kong and got a Kong Burger. Thats a pound of beef patties and a huge pile of fries. I couldn't finish it.After all was said and done we drove back Sunday night. Matt mooned us.....

....but his real target was a bus full of High School softball girls we ran into at a gas station. I bet they've never seen anything quite that white before.