Grande Finale

The last night of racing in Zurich was somewhat anti-climactic but still probably our best night yet. We were both really excited to get out there and race, largely because we were starting to feel better but maybe also because we had to check out of our hotel at eleven and sat in the lobby reading and using the computer until time to head to the track. The racing was the fastest yet and no one could get away in spite of numerous attempts from both ourselves and others. It was also the cleanest racing, though there were still two big crashes that self-neutralized the race. We didn’t lose any laps or skin though and rode much better as a team, so we were pleased. The Czech team ended up winning the race in spite of not being able to do any handslings because of a damaged shoulder… they definitely deserved it, though I’m sure the all the Swiss teams felt a little biffed. Oh, and Casper the Friendly Ghost won the final night, but unfortunately that only temporarily changed his mood.

After the race was over we quickly refocused our attention and packed our bikes, ate as much dinner as we could, and struck out to find our new couchsurfing friends. We stayed with Ramona and her three roommates in a really nice flat immediately next to the main train station right in downtown Zurich, and had a great time. They were all super nice and showed us around town some, gave us tips on what to see, etc. We booked our return ticket for early-evening so that we had some time post-race to see the city, and actually fell in love with Zurich enough that we called the airline to look into changing the ticket so we could spend New Year’s with our new buddies. That didn’t work out, so after walking all over town we headed to the airport. It took us three different check-in people and about 20 minutes of persuading to convince them to let us check our bikes for free, which was truly an astounding feat because we got almost all the way through the process (they even had a receipt printed up for us) before we pulled the Six-Day card on them, calls were made, exceptions were made, and they threw us the bone. After notching that small victory we headed to the business class lounge and drank juice and ate dessert until our flight came… where again we had two first-row aisle seats.

On that note, this trip was probably the most fun Dan and I have had at a bike race. We put a lot of energy into racing and saw a lot of improvement riding together, and we really worked the system for all it was worth. In fact, we came home from the trip with a net profit because of all the free food and very generous prize money, and we were even able to keep our race jerseys. Dan and I discussed the possibility of putting together a guide to dirtbag bike racing, but ultimately I’m not sure I’m ready to divulge all my secrets. Really though, our only “technique” is to be really nice to everyone, very flexible and imaginative, and have absolutely no shame. When those three things are the face you put forward, everything just seems to work out.