Louisville Day 4

Race day, for Tom that is. Morning started off status quo. Breakfast at 6, on the road by 6:30. Arrived at the venue and found a great parking spot and got the tent and walls set up. Amazing how much warmer the tent is when it's closed off and sheltered from the wind.

It had just barely dipped below freezing and the course was beginning to freeze. I'm not sure how to describe the course. Some sections were great others not so much.

The biggest issue was the race left the power washers and the hoses out overnight. They had froze up and by race time they had only one power washer working. It was going to be a big issue for Tom's 70 rider field as the frozen slurry was freezing to everything as it was flung onto the  bike.

While Tom finished his warm-up I got his pit bike and our wash gear to the pit and headed for the start line. The starts have been a bit stressful as we've only got a one minute warning which meant Tom wasn't the only one sprinting at the start. I barely made it to the pit in time to grab Tom's bike and get into position before they passed pit one. Tom was in about 8th place and after he took his first bike at pit 2, that would be the last I'd see of his race. My head was buried for the rest of the day trying to clean the ice mud from the bikes. Steve Tilford had built up a huge lead after the first lap so as I worked on the bikes I'd listen for Steve cheers and knew I had about a minute before Tom. It was rough but I managed to keep Tom's bikes shifting and braking well despite not using the power washers which had a massive line to use. Tom fought his way up the field and finished with a great 5th place finish.

After, we got things cleaned up as best as possible and cruised around the venue at bit, scored a sweet pint glass and coffee cup. Tomorrows the day. I picked up my number and I'm set with #3 call-up. Two better than last year. It's scheduled to freeze hard tonight, 15 degrees or something, and a high of only 25 tomorrow. Tire selection will be critical and I've made my choice. I'll have a 30 minute practice before my race to dial in the pressure.

It's crazy to think that tomorrow will be the end of a journey I started three and a half years ago. But as with all journeys, it's not really the end, it's just the beginning.