Smithville CX

I took last week off from racing due to a bum leg and some work that I needed to finish up, but this week I was right back in the action. Last race I had just come off of a month and a half rest period, so I was less than prepared. However, today I had two weeks of intervals and training under me. I felt ready to do some work. I'm glad to be back in the competitive racing scene!

The Smithville Cyclocross race was ridiculously awesome! tight turns, a big hill, a 50 meter muddy/sandy beach, some nice pavement runs, and, of course, a couple of walls to climb up. Only one set of barriers and they were fast, coming right off of a pavement section.

Started the race towards the back among 40 other 3/4s looking to bring the pain. It was a beautiful day and no extra clothing was needed. I still embrocated, but that's just because I'm addicted to the stuff. It's awesome. So the whistle was blown and soon 40 guys were trying to cram themselves around a bunch of very narrow corners. Many guys went down, but that's because they were being stupid, imo, by trying to squeeze into places that didn't exist. The key to this race, if you started in the back, was to wait until the hill to pounce. If you were going for the win from the back, then you were just going to have to work your ass off! The first couple of laps I hung right up with the leaders, but soon I began to fade, and others started to pass. I knew that I just needed a short break and then I'd be able to get into my own rhythm. Here I even took a dollar from the dollar tree! Sure enough, I started feeling strong again and re-passed most everyone that had taken my position. From there I just picked off a few here and there and made sure that no one else ran up on me before the finish. A GP velotek kid was hot on my wheel but I was able to hold him off and ended up crossing the line 12th out of 40.

Considering my first 3/4 race of the year I took 24th out of 32, I think I've made some huge gains, and I feel pretty confident. I'll be looking to claw my way up further in position at my next CX race. This sport brings a smile to my face, and I love being able to stay active in the "off season." It seems like most of the guys I'm racing with feel like cyclocross is "THE season" but I assure you, I'm just racing for fun.

Great job to Dan's 7th place finish, and Andy's 2nd place finish! Good job to all that came out to test themselves in the cyclocross arena!

For now, more training!!!

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