Cross Bonanza!!!... it's basically just two race re-cap's

Hey Gang,

This could be my best post ever. But I'm a modest guy.

Music

• The Wedding Present 'Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft'

I wanted to post this yesterday, but a surprise trip to the ER due to the gf's bum finger became an issue.

Will she be up and running by the time Jingle Cross rolls around?... stay tuned to find out.

So...

Saturday was Heartland Park Cross in Topeka, KS. Cat 3 race. Lot's of fun. Very muddy. I'd never shouldered my bike that much in my entire life. I don't think Tillford shouldered it once, except before his race started. My shoes were so muddy that i was only clipped in for about 75 % of the race.

I've been going out and running once a week for about 6 weeks now. That helped during the race. the adobe mud, as my friend accurately called it, really gummed up everything. So running became good. Despite my weekly running endeavors, i was in dead last on the first pass thru the infield. i remember looking behind me with the bike on my shoulder, seeing no-one, and saying... 'we're in last place.'

But i stuck to my plan, which was to not ride the really muddy parts (which was basically everyone else's plan) and it worked out pretty well. i didn't have many mud on bike problems and about halfway thru the race i found myself in 4th place, behind t rex. that's what ill call him. I attacked the t rex, but in the end he was to strong and got the better of me. Still... lot's of fun. i may have actually caught and beat him at the very end but both my feet slipped off the pedals going up a hill and i found my self standing over my top tube and having to shuffle 10 steps up the hill before i could remount. This was about 4o seconds from the finish line. And then, not 5 seconds after i remounted, i see that the t rex had bobbled as well but he's already recovered and is pedaling off to glory.

so it was exciting.

And i still placed well enought to win a little money.

Bam!

Sunday was the De Stad Cross Cup At St Mary's Campus in Leavenworth, KS.

Again, lots of fun.

Beautiful fall day.

In a nutshell... cat 3/4 race, i started on the front row and was feeling good. Front row start's really do make a big difference. Then, i tried a stupid pass on the very inside of a corner and fell down after it became apparent that the angle i took left absolutely no possibility in the physics of the know universe that i could actually make the turn. i spent over a lap catching up. Then during the finishing sprint, on the very last pass up the brick paved climb, i got smoked by cd from in-a-tub.

i bet i had 3 seconds on him when we hopped the curb from the grass to the brick road. But it only took 15 pedal strokes before he shot by my right side like bat out of hell. i was dead in the water. Honestly, i think i had the juice to go with him. It was a long uphill finish and that worked in my favor (very skinny) and helped to negate the fact that he's a good sprinter. But i was not prepared for the effort required at the end of a long and close cross race. People go fast at the end. Don't underestimate it.

So it was another exciting day on the cross bike.

Adios