Sunday, February 28, 2010

Opening Day 2010

Perhaps baseball is the best analogy here, despite my lack of passion for the sport.  As Major League Baseball's spring training comes to a close, the proverbial "hope springs eternal" resonates for all teams that are deadlocked with a 0-0 record.  A very lengthy season remains to be played out.  Despite the inordinate number of games to follow, the first regular season game takes on a special aura as a chance to begin afresh and to perhaps grab a fleeting glimpse of the improbable.

This was a perspective I tried to embrace for the Frostbite Time Trial today, my debut race of the 2010 season.  I was especially pleased with the wonderful support of my SCCA/Starbucks teammates, who turned out in force and with excellent camaraderie.  The calm and mild weather was another bonus to sprinkle on a grand day for a bike race (especially in "winter").  But, let's face it, I am the Kansas City Royals of flat-course time trialing.  A good opening day performance would be a one-off result, erased through the passage of time.  A more likely scenario, and one which played out today, was to hope for magic despite fielding a sub-par lineup.  And the magic act was disrobed for the charade that it was.

I have no real excuses to give.  I can whine a bit about how fatigued I was this week, and perhaps I lacked a little spark because of that.  But, I'm keeping a positive spin on this.  It was really endearing to return to the ritual of packing up the bike and gear on race day, re-acquainting with friends in the parking lot, polishing up the engine room with a disciplined warm-up, then giving it full gas on the road.  And, unlike last year, I really enjoyed having the opportunity to root for a large contingent of teammates going through the same process.  What a fantastic group!

It is a long season and I'm taking the microscope off the significance of today's performance.  I remain tremendously giddy for the 2010 season to be underway!

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