Podium

I like winning. Whether it's being the first one to the top of the hill on a team ride, or the quickest to the city limit sign, I race to get results. At the same time I'll admit that I've never actually won a race - as in crossed the line first. But I have stood on the podium a number of times. As proof, here's my complete race resume.

When you're a beginner (as in a Cat 5) they give you medals when you finish in the top 3. I proudly wore those medals around after the races. Even the eye rolls and open disdain I got from a Cat 2 couldn't shame me into removing my prize. Winning is hard and if you can manage a good result it's something that you ought to be proud of even if you do look like geek.

After my first result as 4 I reported to the prize tent to pick up my 3rd place medal and was shocked to get an envelope instead. It was a great result in an NRC race and I didn't have a nerdy medal to walk around with all day. The envelope contained 50 bucks, soothing to a small extent my disappointment.

This year as a Cat 3 the podium has been somewhat more illusive. Not a surprise really - the higher you get in any endeavor the finer the gene pool becomes. In the 3's there are more guys who are willing and able to be there at the end. In the previous categories I was able to get on the front, stay there, riding the weak guys off of the back until the race was over and finishing in the top 10 or better. While I have cracked the top 10 this season- the premium finishes have eluded me.