The Last Stage
Yesterday’s circuit race did not go very well. Coming over a small hill on the second lap, the pack slowed down for some reason, and the morons behind me didn’t react in time, so I got plowed into. I got a few scrapes, nothing too bad, but my beautiful bike got a dent in the top tube, probably from the handlebars. That really pissed me off. I don’t think it’s harmful to the structural integrity of the bike, and I hope I’m right.
I kept riding with some various dropped riders, and the pack ended up passing me less than a kilometer before the finish. That was lucky because it meant we didn’t have to do another lap since all riders must finish during the same lap. So I got to start today. Once we were back at the high school, the medical team here put on some bandages, so I was ready to go. Tim, our team director, treated us to dinner at a restaurant in Val-d’Or since the other guys on our team did so well on such a tough stage. I had another pizza, but this time it was “Greek”-style with olives, feta cheese, etc.
Today’s stage, the last one, went from Senneterre to Val-d’Or. It looked a little rainy at the start. My main objective for this stage was to stay upright, so I just stayed at the back where no one could plow into my rear. The race ended with nine five-kilometer circuits in Val-d’Or, where it was raining. I started getting road grime spat up into my eyes, so I was nearly blind doing the laps. I was in no mood for pushing my luck through slippery turns, so I lost a little bit of ground during the laps and finished 30 seconds or so behind the front.
I’ve already packed my bike and had dinner (another vegetarian pizza!), and next I’ll attend the awards ceremony in the auditorium of the high school. As per the tradition, I guess the plan for most of the people here is to party in downtown Val-d’Or. No thank you.
Overall, my experience here has been mixed. Not crashing is always the foremost goal, so in that sense I failed, which was certainly disappointing. I also didn’t like the courses that much. I didn’t really know what the terrain would be like when I signed up for the race, but it ended up being way too flat for my liking. And most stages ended with short laps, turning the stages into virtual crits.
On the other hand, I learned so much about international junior racing here. Whether I like it or not, at least I know what it’s like. I also met some cool people, my teammates. All in all, I’m glad I went.