Two races, first one I was pulled with Two laps to go, the other, I flatted with Two to go. That sums up my race weekend.

I pulled out of my house Saturday at 5:30am; I can not remember that last time I was on the road at this hour of the day. My first destination, Middletown, Ohio, some 250 miles away.

My plan for the day was just to hang out and watch the races, but that changed at around 8:30am. For some god-forsaken reason, I thought it would be fun to race with the big guns. I wanted to see just how fast some of the top pros in the country really are. They did not disappoint.

I rolled up to the starting line, well at least the 2nd row right behind Ryan Leech. They gave us the run down on the rules, then the 30 seconds warning. The gun goes of, and the pain started.

I managed to hang on to the lead group for ninety percent of the first lap. I got in to the mix a little in a few of the corners and in to the first set of barriers, after that I was just hanging on for dear life. As we hit the tarmac for the third time, some one up front poured it on, I got shelled off the back and in to no-man’s land for the next 45 minutes.

On the same tarmac section that I was shelled on, the leader blew by me, I knew, I was done. The next time through the finish, I was getting pulled from the course.

The pace these guys race at is unreal.

The second day, I was going to be racing with the rest of the mortals.

Sunday, it was cold, low thirties at best. By noon it was maybe forty-five, good cross weather.

At 11:55 I was sitting on the front row. Waiting for the starter to read us the riot act, and blow his whistle. I was a bit nervous, this being my first race out of state that was going to count for something.

The gun goes off; I surge off the line and lead the in to the first set of turns and up the road climb, but the pack had was smaller now, no less than one minute in to the race, just behind the leaders there was a huge pile up, bring 60% of the field to a dead stop. I remember hearing bodies hitting the ground and bikes breaking.

The next 30 minutes, it was a good race. The lead group of ten had splintered, and I was in a good spot, 7th. I was in the chase group, and we were moving, closing gaps, and closing on the leaders.

We get the Two to go sign, with the lead pack in sight, 3 riders all fighting for 1st place. We would have closed in on them with in the next lap, making for a good race to the finish. Then it happened, I flatted on the road section. With the pit over half mile away, I was done. I had gone from 4th to 30th by the time I got to the pit for a wheel change. I was crushed.

Two plus Two equals zero for the weekend.