I won! Shawnee Rescue Radcross

That's right, I won the 3/4 at the cross race today!

POW!!!

Not counting the beginners Mountain Bike i won three years ago (I totally sandbagged that thing, pre teens and old dudes didnt' have a chance) this is the first bike race i have ever won. It feels good, and surreal. I've done tons of races since i stepped out of my comfort zone in 2009 and joined the Colavita / Parisi Coffee cycling team, road, mountain, cross... and finally, after countless hours, miles, espressos, flat tires, dropped chains, big fields, small fields, fast fields, faster fields, frozen toes and salty helmet straps... i crossed the line first. Joining this team and this sport was one of the best decisions i ever made.

Everything clicked today. I worked my ass off but still felt good the whole time. When i passed the leader at the beginning of the second lap i barely had to attack, it just seemed like he was fading and I wasent. After that i kept cruising. Truth be told i was nervous, this was uncharted territory for me. 10 minutes into a 45 min race and i'm in the lead with a gap of around 10 seconds. I was worried about blowing up. Albert Pujos was flashing thru my mind. He hit 3 homers in game 3 of the world series the night before and people were talking about how great he is at focusing. So that's what i tried to do. Focus.

I've imagined my finish line celebration numerous times (i like the Chris Horner solute) but in the end i simple rolled across, no celebration, just happy to win.

X was spectating and cheering me on the whole time. It was kind of a magical moment.

Now, lets be honest. Lot's of the people who usually beat me were not there today so the end result might have been different. Might. They'll be back though and i cant wait to line up next to 'em.