For the first time since 2007, I rode the Fort Custer trails on Sunday. I signed up for the Fort Custer Stampede in the Sport Class, meaning two 9-mile loops.

I wasn’t too keen on the forecast for rain, but I chose to tough it out and pre-register for the race. Once I got there, the clouds had already begun to clear away and the sun came out. It was suddenly a beautiful day and I was ready to ride my bike.

When I reached the starting line, I was pretty happy because there were only three of us. After a bit, I turned and saw that there were quite a few more women in my class who were standing behind us. Uh oh. Yeah, I had a bad feeling because I know how racing works in the Lower Peninsula, and I knew the race was going to suck for one big reason: my confidence was quickly running away…far, far away from the race course.

We started racing and I immediately took my position in about third or fourth from the back. After a short while, everyone passed me, and then I passed another girl so I wouldn’t be last. What I did not realize is that the girl I passed must have passed me back, because I found out that I was last towards the end of my first lap.

I don’t mind being last, but I do mind getting smoked. At the rate I was going, it was going to take me about two hours and ten minutes to finish the course, and that was probably about 20 minutes behind the girl in front me. Not kosher.

In addition to my frustration, I started having some abdominal cramping early in the race. This is something I’ve started experiencing this year, and it happens on climbs, or hard efforts, that occur very shortly after the beginning of my ride. Between that and the fact that I was smoked by the others, I decided to quit the race before crossing the lap mark. It probably wasn’t a bad idea because I felt worse as the night went on and I felt like I was going to explode.

I made a very important decision: I am dropping down to the Beginner class. I know I’m not a beginner, but I also know that I am significantly slower than I used to be. I also know that the Beginner class is full of non-beginners who are actually average riders that belong in Sport. Hell, why shouldn’t I be there?

Another very important reason why I’ve decided to drop back down to beginner class is because I just can’t do the laps or the distance. There was no way I could’ve done more than then beginner distance at the Barry Roubaix. Sport at Yankee was only one lap, like with Beginner, so that wasn’t an issue. Fort Custer was two laps, and I just didn’t want to do that. If I do the Boyne Marathon, there is no way I’ll be able to complete the Sport distance. With that said, I am a beginner. Hear me roar.

Unfortunately, this is evidence that I am in massively bad shape. Unfortunately, with all of the exercise I’ve been getting, I don’t feel I’ve been getting into better shape, and I sure as hell haven’t been losing weight. Something is amiss.