Then I got a cold the following Tuesday (ahem), and was concerned for the state of my being going into this past weekend's races.
Turned out my concern was justified - I went to Psycho Cross on Saturday and finished last (except for one DNF) in the small field - I think it had a lot to do with having my sinuses still all clogged and stuff. I like to think I'm not that systematically terrible. I did outsprint a junior at the end of the race.
Sunday I drove out to Hyattsville, took a lap to see the course, and felt pretty terrible. I didn't want to race. However, the course seemed fun, so I decided to cowboy up and give it the ol' college try. Even though it was a million degrees. Even though my head hurt. Whine whine whine whine.
WELL. Was that a good decision, or what? I started on the 4th row or so (number 47 in staging but there were some open spots, so a few of us got to move up). I had taken the time to warm up all good and well, spending about half an hour spinning on top of a couple preview laps. When the whistle blew, I was able to needle up to a top 20 spot for a little while, first time this year. From there it is a matter of "hold on as long as you can until everybody goes past." Hence my plan of "hold on a little bit longer every week until I can last the whole race."
Either way, the point is, the first two laps of the race, I felt GOOD. Like, holding position, picking off dudes, win a prime (one of those luck-of-the-draw next guy through the barriers jobs), feel like I actually belong good. It wasn't to last. My cold, and the energy it takes to do an extended run such as this course featured* gradually caught up with me. I began to fade back to the mid-to-late 30s, from the late 20s. (You guys see what I did there? Haha, masters riders.)
*The giant runup and subsequent steep descent may have been "rideable," but it certainly was not worth it for me to try. Then there was that mud bog at the bottom that was eating front wheels and feet. I didn't even figure out how to not catch my foot in the mud/hit a tree or spectator with my bike until the last lap. Either way, I really enjoyed how the backside turned into a big party. All cx races should have such a feature. See also: the "back nine" at Ed Sander, the team tent section at DCCX sort of, the "alpe d'woes" at Tacchino this year.
At this point, the wheels fell off the wagon and I gave in to my tendency to crash my face.
What happened was, I came through this 180 degree corner where you go up this little rise, it kills your speed, and you can throw your bike back down, and there was a course stake laying across the exit of the corner. And it was positioned so as to not be visible when you come in. So I ran it over while my bike was not perpendicular to the ground (because it was a damn corner), which caused my front wheel to immediately peace the F O and me to go sprawling down the hill.The 60 seconds of rest I got while trying to figure out which way was up and where exactly my chain was in relation to my crankset allowed me to get up and RAGE for the fast section immediately following. So that felt good at least. But while I was down, like 20 dudes went past me! I caught up to one in the next two laps. I finished 54th. I'm not sorry. I raced surprisingly well (on a day when I just wanted to finish not last), had a real good time of it, and got to get awesomely dirty.
Photo by my titanium-spined friend. I'm going to open hand slap the next person to ask me why we got white kits for cross. Rich and I rode the special olympics parade lap, which I thought was a really nice thing to have.
This weekend, MABRAcross is off, the MAC is headed to DE, but I am headed to sunny Cleveland, for alumni weekend at my alma mater and an Ohio cross race.
THEY DON'T EVEN USE BIKEREG
I AM GOING TO HAVE TO THROW SOME ELBOWS TO STAGE
I'm looking forward to it, though. I am going to go for a run around campus and get nostalgic for all the time I spent running my senior year, when I was beginning this process of transformation from "giant" to "less giant." In a complete contradiction to that goal, I am going to go to a wonderful place called Melt. I will watch a football game and say hello to the old coaches. Then, I will try to dominate some Brohio cross bros.
And if any of you out there are going to be in need of an inexperienced attorney beginning in mid-to-late 2012, please let me know.