Tour of America's Dairyland - Day Seven

Well, that was exciting. Today's stage brought racers into Shorewood, a small suburb just north of Milwaukee. The venue promised high speeds in the form of long straightaways and wide turns. But then it started to rain, like, really REALLY rain. Oh, and did I mention there were brick crosswalks in the penultimate turns? Yeah, those were slicker than ice once they got wet. 

Here are some rules for bike racing in the rain.  


1.) Do not avert your eyes from the task at hand to watch the crashes happening all around you. If you turn your head, you will steer that direction, and you don't want to be part of those crashes.

2.) Do not use your brakes. Don't use them at all if you can help it. But, be especially weary of using them in corners. If you touch your brakes in a corner you will find your face touching the ground. This is considered bad form.

3.) Watch out for nervous riders. These fellas mean well, but they will break rules 1 & 2 in an effort to avoid crashing. Don't be behind these riders, their good intentions will slow you down or crash you out. Just say no to slow. 

4.) Remember to make grimacing faces when passing photographers on course. This is probably your best chance to get a super rad looking picture of you racing bikes in the rain like the pro's do. Take advantage of this opportunity! Scowl, furrow your brow, let drool run down your face, what ever it takes to look as euro as possible. 

5.) High-five spectators when your rainy escapade is over. They stood in the rain for 90 minutes to watch your criterium. While you were busy racing, you probably failed to notice that the rain is a much colder and miserable experience off the bike. So, spend some time chatting with those wonderful people who support your sport. Thank them for standing behind the barriers and cheering your race on! Netflix has a lot of cool stuff on it these days, so them choosing to watch a bike race in the rain is kinda a big deal. 

6.) Remember that bike racing is fun, even in the rain. Don't complain because the weather wasn't perfect. Be stoked that you get to race your bike. 


Today wasn't my strongest race performance. I finished 40th out of approximately 100 starters. My legs felt dead, and my average heart rate of 172 bpm for 92 minutes is testament to the fact I was on my aerobic limit. So, I'm pleased with my effort, but still on the hunt for a better result. 

Tomorrow I'm going to lay low. I need to catch some rest before the weekend finale. 








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