got back up to athens on saturday for the twilight crit.  got my race number and was informed that i'd get a special 'pro' call-up by virtue of my being the #7 qualifier in the friday time trials.  sweet!  numbers #1 - 23 got call ups to the very front - i was #22.

 

so that's nice and now i roll over to the announcing booth where the podium girls are to see if the ones i know are working.  certainly they are, and i exchange numbers with kaylen to meet up after the big race.  double sweet.

 

change up and warmup - time to get up to the race course for the big intro's.  i make it up there, but then get stricken with the mother of all nature calls.  i've still got time, so it's just a little diversion, right?  well i come out of the bar restroom and here the star spangled banner queueing up...  oh snap, i'm about to miss the race!  i rush down the 1/2 block to the super pro entry and slot in right in the front.  don't even know who i crowded, i was so frazzled.  totally missed my pro call-up.  wow, how un-pro of me, huh?  no good.  then the girls walk by and are like, "hi, jeremy!"  the whistle blows and we're off like lightning.

 

the very first lap has a $350 prime, so you know this one is going to be single file from the get go.  i'm not climbing the 6% hill on the backside so super great, but i'm somewhat surviving.  anyway, it's lap 5 and i'm just over halfway back in the field.  round turn 4 and there are like 20 guys piled up on the far side.  oh, boy.  some brakes to avoid, but then 2 more guys get tangled and crash right in front of me.  more brakes.  time to reaccelerate and we're chasing.  totally screwed, as there's no way that we're going to catch back on to the main field.  by lap 10, 1/3 of the field (of 160) has been pulled from the race - including me.  by lap 20, over half the field is gone.  by the end, only 40 or 50 guys finish.  wicked hard, folks.

 

so i'm done, and i'm wandering back toward the start/finish to find my family in the crowd and watch the rest of the race.  pretty bummed that i'm out of the race early, but oh well.  and then a guy and his girlfriend walk up and say, "could we get a picture with you?"  wow...  sure!  so they get a picture and meanwhile college kids walk by and are like, "hey, nice run out there!"  "good work in the race!"  etc.  made me feel like a real pro - it was cool.

 

anyway, the race is over, and it's time to change and then - you guessed it - get something to eat.  well, i just get back to the car to change when my cousin, missy, calls on the cell phone and tells me i need to get back up to the start area for dope testing.  yep, USADA (US Anti Doping Association) was present and testing - they test the top 3 places and then 2 randoms.  out in 10 laps - yeah, i'm a random...

 

so i get up to the testing trailer and give a urine sample.  i had to pick a jar, disrobe and fill it up - all with an old dude watching in order to make sure i didn't sneak in a fake sample.  wierdest thing ever.  then the paperwork gets filled out and they ask about any medications or vitamins i'm on.  yeah, i take a daily multi-vitamin and i use chamois cream - anything else?  well, i guess i've been eating a fairly decent amount of black-eyed peas, mashed potatoes and chicken since i've been in athens?  ha, ha - not funny.  oh, i've had a couple of smoothies - hopefully there's nothing weird in those...  "yeah, you really need to watch out for that."  oh, boy.  anyway, i'll find out in about 4 weeks whether or not i've been doping.  boy, i sure hope the answer is no - otherwise, why didn't i get better results?