Someone else will have to win that jersey today

We promoted a bike race yesterday. Our team puts on a race on the Sunday of Memorial Weekend every year. It's sort of a big deal. Since I lead promote another 6 or 7 races during the year, this one is supposed to be set up that I don't really have to do much. It never really ends up that way, though.

There at 6:30ish, which was earlier than I expected us to get there (good job to all of my family who are not morning people!), and we (Rob Strange is always there before me, even when we are 15min early instead of 15min late) started throwing cones immediately. Good start to the day.

Before we'd even finished setting up the course, I had a racer stop to tell me that he had a better idea for course layout, and then a few minutes later someone told me that a corner needed to be swept (um, let us get to that, please. there's still more than an hour until the first race starts). And so on.

Went inside to use the restroom and wash the cone/barricade grime off of me, and on the way I'm told that there are no pins (used to put on the racer's number). As I walked into the bathroom, a guy I've never met comes out of a stall and says, "you're Christian, right? The coach?".

"Yep. That's me. It's good to see you."
"I've got a coaching questions for you."
" ... ".
"So the turn is about 1K from the finish, but it is a little downhill. Do you think we should set up a lead out like Columbia, or should we have our sprinter fend for himself off of the other teams lead outs since the finish is so fast and hard to control?"
I replied, "I think it is great that y'all are thinking ahead, and it bodes well that y'all are anticipating the finish. I mean no disrespect, but I really have to go to the bathroom..."
He said, "Oh right! ok..."
I went into the stall, sat down, and...

...yes, he kept talking to me. Thank goodness my phone rang, because then at least I could take a minute away from directing his team from a community college bathroom.

Not being able to perform my toilet duty with such an audience, I wrapped up the call, took leave of the potty, washed up, and found the guy was standing outside the damn bathroom door, and he walked with me all the way back to registration. He fired away questions, and I did my best to be pleasant, though I have no idea how convincing I was. My answers were, "Hmm mm," "yep", and such. The longest short walk to registration gave me an out becaue I saw Becky getting ready.

"How is it going here?"
"the printer isn't working"

Ugh.

It's now about 7:30, and I'm walking outside, and we learn that 1) we've forgotten ice for the bake sale, 2) that we can't get the jug for the slushie machine under the faucet, so we have to either fill up the 5 gallons with a small cup or go buy water, and 3) "Hey, Christian, the sprinklers are on at the back side of the course."

Damn it!

I grab my bike to roll over to the side of the course to see if the sprinker thing is an issue and if any of the magic spells I know can be applied to automatic sprinklers at a venue at which I know nobody and have zero pull whatsoever. But first I have to air up my front wheel. Evidently I have a slow leak on my race wheel.

On the way I get a text that the officials don't have a portacan or an open building in which to find a restroom. I help two guys who have crashed during warm up for the race (they were both riding no handed and I swear must have been tied together). No injuries other than embarassment.

the first race hasn't even gone off yet!

It was a long, hot day. It went well for our team, and since our races serve to raise money for our junior team, it's almost always worth it, but I think it is too many races when I start to dread them for whatever reason.

Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong.

The family is beat. Outside all day from 6:30am until 7:30pm. Not getting home until 9:30...

It's State Criterium Championships today, and I'm already registered, but there's just no way it's going to happen. Completely whupped, and if I want to be involved with family plans today, I have 30min to ride to meet them, or I'm the guy who didn't race AND skipped the family outing only to blog and work on Memorial Day.

I'm not going to be that guy.

Out.