The arrival of March saw the arrival of the first road race of the season, but unfortunately spring didn’t come along for the ride. First on the schedule for the season was the Spring Tune-Up Race in Oxford, Ohio. Meant as a warm up for the Ohio Spring Race Series, the course was two laps a 16 mile loop with a couple small rises, which meant about 32 miles for us.
A 4:30 am wake-up call and a 2 hour 15 minute drive meant coming up with new strategies for eating pancakes on the go and several stops at various gas stations between Columbus and the Indiana state line. Five of us arrived in Oxford at 8:15, just under 2 hours before staging and the start time. Snow had begun falling as we made the drive, and the roads were slick as we drove a lap of the course before getting dressed. The snow became more and more ominous as we sought the warmth of a gas station bathroom to dress and pin on our numbers, and the drive to the staging area saw us sliding around. We even saw one of the motorcycles slide out making a low speed turn into the parking lot. Needless to say, this didn’t inspire confidence in the course conditions. Several riders slid out on the slick, snow-covered tarmac just riding out of the parking lot until finally, just as we pulled our bikes off the rack and worked up the courage to attempt a warm-up ride, the race was called off.
All in all, it was a great decision by the promoter to prevent unnecessary injuries in the first race of the season, but still disappointing after a long drive and a week of mentally and physically preparing. At the very least, we got a chance to practice our pre-race routines. The race was rescheduled for the 24th of March, which places it after the first race of the Spring Series.
