Sea Otter 09 from Nelson

Sea Otter 45+4's Road RaceThe only race course I like better than this one is the Sea Otter Circuit course. Derek rolled out from the Laguna Seca Raceway start in the 35+4's and Darin and I five minutes later, descending down the 2.5 mile canyon and onto the 8.5 mile loop for 6 laps. Each lap started with a 3.5 minute climb, and each time I came over the top with the pack and flew through the following twisty downhill and over some rollers I was reminded why I love this sport. If only my passion for racing was matched by a propensity for placing.Darin was usually near the front on the climbs, but right after climbing a steep kicker on the backside on the 2nd to last lap he pulled up and asked what I recommended for cramps. "Keep drinking" I blurted out between gasps, but then shortly after that I saw him breaking away. He was pedaling away down the grade just before the turn onto the last lap, and I realized he may be onto something: cramps usually only hit if you stop pedaling! He hammered up the climb and a couple guys bridged up. They stayed away half way around the last lap as I was blocking and enjoying the excitement as the guys rallied to catch them. After finally catching them the 25 or so remaining racers in the pack finished the loop and charged up the 2.5 mile climb to the finish where I got 17th.The camaraderie and sportsmanship of the racers at the end was great, and I congratulated guys I've gotten to know from other teams and met some new racers as well. Dean came from Australia just to race, and we talked about the race scene there which sounds similar to here. Brian came from New Jersey and was amazed how much harder the Masters 4's were here. He got dropped early, and I ran into him again after the Circuit Race and he was disappointed and angry that he got dropped and then pulled off the course without finishing. He blamed the last minute decision by the director to combine us with the 35+4's and the elite 4's into one big race, and I have to admit that ended up blowing the field apart far more than last year when the groups were smaller. It sure made for an exciting race though, with a huge pack flying through the corkscrew turns at 45+mph! Congrats to Mark and Darin for their outstanding performance in that race! Nelson_______________________________________________