After Colorado, we headed to Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas for two days of racing combined with the amateur fields. We arrived Friday evening after a little hotel confusion and I was tired and hungry. We rode across to the crit course from last year and did a few hot laps. When we got back to the hotel parking lot, I was already getting a little hangry, so when the key for the trailer showed up a whole 20 minutes later I was already deep in my low blood sugar spiral.

By the time we rounded up a cars worth of people to head to Noodles and Company I was damn near ready to flip. But once I got some food in me, things turned around a bit.

The next morning we woke up to head to the Spring Fling Criterium which was only a few minutes away in a state park. We set up camp and got down to some racing.

Notable results: Tini won the women’s BC race, and Waverly raced twice with a 5th place in the open women’s. Men’s C/D was combined with the Cat 5 race, and Louis took a handy win assisted by Alex Turner (sandbaggers).

But my race was the last of the day. Me, Sveddy, and Logan were committed to destroying the race after listening to Look at Me by xxxtentacion (#FREEXXX) all day. Logan was to cover moves that were particularly threatening, but mostly sit in. I was going to try to lever a group clear, which was no easy feat due to the points sprints placed in the middle of the race. Sveddy was there to work for both of us.

The race started aggressively with a number of moves being quickly chased down. Olathe-Subaru had about 6 guys racing and was represented in almost every move that went, but didn’t work in any of them. I tried to go clear but knew I couldn’t hold it with 12 almost mile laps to go.

I came back to peloton and waited for the final points sprint (there’s a cash payout for the 5 race series) and attacked with 4 to go. Two bridged up, an Olathe guy, and some guy I didn’t know at all. The Olathe guy worked a little but the other guy barely worked at all. I was pulling hard,  with a six minute power of 370ish watts while everyone else just hung out. I liked my chances out of three and I knew I had the collegiate win even if I dragged them to the line, but still yelled at them and got them to pull through a couple of times. Last lap I attacked and dropped the not Olathe guy. The Olathe guy sprinted around me before the final corner and had it more or less sealed. I rolled in second with some time to spare. Logan won the field sprint behind someone who attacked last lap out of the field for 4th.

The next day we rolled to Perry Dam for a 40 mile RR. First people went at 10 and the Men’s Collegiate A/Men’s 1/2/3 rolled out at 1. The course was 5 miles, out and back across a windy dam and then up a 1.5-2min climb. The plan was for me to cover all threatening moves if I could and to use Logan and Sveddy to bring moves if I didn’t make it. The field was small, so it was also pretty easy to control. Two guys attacked right from the gun (1st and 3rd from the crit the day before) and no one took it seriously, but I bridged across on the dam and we started working well immediately.

Two laps later an Olathe guy (Kent) and a guy named Hunter Adams joined us. The lap after, Hunter attacked up the hill gapping off the first two break companions. After we didn’t work well together they caught back on. Hunter flatted across the dam.

One to go I attacked up the hill, gapping everyone except Kent. He asked if I wanted to keep going and I got on the front. We worked well together. I figured he could out sprint me (most people can) if I cat and moused with him up the final climb, so I decided to go from the bottom. Up the first ramp he was still kind of on my wheel, so I kept on it and created a little gap. My vision went a little fuzzy, but I finished the effort out and  posted up across the line for the W.

Awesome way to close out spring break and I am feeling confident headed in to Joe Martin Stage Race next week.