Tour de 'Toona: Frustratingly Awesome

The Wasabi Warriors set out for the lunar landscape known earlier this year as PomWonderful, accompanied by 2 guest riders, 3 feed zone helpers, 3 groupies, and 1 awkward loiterer. Stage 1 was a sub-3 mile time trial, with a couple of small climbs and 18 corners. I set my goal at 6 minutes or less and hoped the technical course would not put me at a disadvantage for riding Merckx-style. The stage went by quickly, and I felt like I had energy leftover. I was pleased with my 6:03 time and 25th place, but I wished I had gone harder. The TT was a great stage for the team, with all of our riders doing well. Our friend Charlie of Breakawaybikes.com/iFractal overcooked the S-turn on 12th Avenue, ending up in the ER, but thankfully avoided any head injuries. The Pistachio Princesses send their regards to Chaz's broken pelvis.

Stage 2 was a 74-mile road race from Richland to Blue Knob, with a mountaintop finish. Early in the race, a small group went off the front. Two sprints and a QOM later, we approached the final climb with the break reeled in. It was a 20-minute effort, the kind of suffering that requires serious motivation to keep going. I asked myself that burning question that every aspiring cyclist ponders now and again: WWLVGD? Word had it that Laura Van Gilder was using a 12-25 cassette that day, so my guess was that she'd shift into a big gear and make that mountain her bitch the old-fashioned way. Inspired by this confidence, I clicked up a few times on my 11-28 and stomped it out for 13th place, moving up to 15th in the GC. Woohoo!

(CAWES guest rider Jessica Chong making the most of the rest day)

Stage 3 began after a rest day of watching the Tour de France and recovery spinning on our trainers. The 91-mile stage involved 3 climbs and a flat finish. I was psyched. The first 40 miles were mainly flat, and a group got away. The race leaders weren't in the break so we assumed it was an effort to wear the pack out, and we didn't chase. My rear tire skidded a few times, and I thought I might have too much pressure. It became so bad that I considered dropping out of the stage, but I decided to proceed with extra caution. The next thing I remember, I was being revived in the same ER that I had just visited Charlie in. I later learned that I had skidded out when there was sudden braking on a descent. Thankfully, no one else was hurt, not even my bike The Green Weenie. The x-rays and CT scan came back ok, and the doctors were impressed enough with the articulateness of my refusal of a tetanus shot and staple in my head that they deemed my head injury to be non-serious (little did they know that my fear of needles could provide a moment of clarity in any situation involving sharp objects). Disappointed but grateful, I was discharged and returned to the course in time to see the stage finish. Colavita and Now & Novartis had the first riders in, with the other race leaders, including yellow, trickling in as groups of 2 and 3. Larger groups sprinted in, and team CAWES finished strong.

I'm disappointed that such a great race ended with an injury, but I enjoyed the first 2 (and a half) stages, and I'm looking forward to next year. Let's hope Tour de Toona continues to happen in 2012!