Well, I was feeling pretty good about my racing so far after two solid finishes. I kn ew that Winfield would be a test because of the two-step climb on the backstretch of the course, but I hoped that I could make it through 30 minutes and 3 laps. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be racing a bike - 80 degrees, light breeze, plenty of sun. My warm-up went ok and so I wasn't too nervous. Kim was joined by my Aunt Rita. Aunt Rita is without doubt the reason I got into cycling. Thanks to her, I rode my first "real" bike, her Miyata 1000 that she rode from West Chicago to the race. Her stories of centuries and RAGBRAI fueled my imagination and soon I had my Schwinn Traveler. It was great to have fans, especially one that was so instrumental to my early love of this sport. Over 60 of us lined up to race this pleasant Sunday morning. They staged us and to get the timing back on track, we weren't given a warm-up lap. Just as well. I lined up in the second row. Af...
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