Spring Spectacular report

Somehow, not sure how, I managed to make it to Edmonton/Devon yesterday morning, on time to race the Spring Spectacular, and with a mechanically sound bike too! It was a chilly morning and threatened to rain, but I don't think that was what kept the masses away because I think that's always what the weather is like up here, right? Regardless, 15 or so cat A's and a combined cat B/C field headed off on the flat, square circuit to contest the third and final of the Spring Series races.

There was a good bunch in cat A, including a provincial champion jersey and a squadron of ERTC. I responded to a surge late in the first lap, only to look behind me and find that the two of us were off the front. So I passed the start/finish line first (hands weren't in the air, but I was tempted...) and after quickly getting caught, my race went pear-shaped (apparently the Woolley tactic works as badly in cat 2 as it does in cat 5): I was caught napping on one of the surges and had to work like crazy with another dude for half a lap to catch back on. As soon as we caught on he says "let's not do that again!", and immediately the pack put the hammer down again... Funniest point in the race though, was when we had to wait for a couple of cars at a stop sign (since this was an "unofficial training ride") and as we started up again, someone yells out "Let's go, Bruce [Copeland, I assume] has almost caught us!" and the pace hit like 60km/h for the next 5km. haha Poor Bruce. Anyway, I was pretty shattered by the mid-point, couldn't respond to a surge, rode another lap and picked up my dropped Powerbar (those suckers are expensive!), then watched from the sidelines while Blaine Richter opened it up and rode everyone off his wheel in the home straight.

Good times. Thanks Shaun Adamson and volunteers for putting it on!