The Wheelsucker Rested and Confident Before the Thursday Evening World Championship

While the overwhelming favorite for the upcoming Thursday Evening World Championship has to be Jeff "Ace" McDermott, the rider who won in a solo breakaway on last week's Tuesday ride on exactly the same course is the venerable Wheelsucker.

"You have to give it everything and you have to be very lucky to stay away from a field containing Ace, Tim Shaffer, and Brian MacLean", said the wheelsucker. "But the Patrick Hogan crash forced them to stop and the gap grew too large for them to close."

When Bike Racing News asked about the upcoming Thursday Evening World Championship the loquacious wheelsucker replied: "I dug very deep at the Turkey Day race and then the St. Michaels Century. When you go that hard you have to give your body a chance to recover. But I have been taking it easy, riding less, but still going hard occasionally. I have good sensations in my legs and I am tranquil. My lower back is killing me, but it loosens up after I warmup on the bike, so I am hoping it does not limit me during the race. We'll see."

While the course is not really suited to the wheelsucker’s strengths (primarily wheelsucking on a non technical flat or downhill course) and he has never beaten Ace McDermott in a sprint on this course, no one else is crazy enough to try to ride away alone during the neutral rollout and try to stay away for the entire race.

Weather could be a major factor for the race; the forecast is for heavy rain and flooding, and riders are wondering if organizers will postpone the race to next Tuesday evening.