still reflecting on lily pons

still reflecting on lily pons...

why did I ride the course hard rather than race the race?

had I played paint ball the day prior?
was it the three year old that woke me up at 1:55 the night prior... then kicked me in the head intermidently through the night?
was it fatigue from playing Mr. Mom the days leading into the event as my wife frolicked in sunny southern California?

or maybe I just do not know how to race cyclocross?

why is it that I can hammer a mountain bike race in the red zone at Big Bear WV, Lodi Farms or Wakefield at my personal limits for laps under an hour, but I fear the red zone on my cyclocross bike? (okay... big bear was over an hour laps... but it still a race of pushing hard for the full duration, maybe I should have said raced Fountainhead in the RED ZONE on my single speed for... okay that was a longer than an hour race as well)

is it fit? should I match up the measurements of my cyclocross bikes with my mountain bikes? should I get away from the drop bars and put myself in a more mountain bike pose?

or is it all mental?
do I leave my game face at home?
do I just arrive to ride rather than race?

and yes... my spare tire around the mid-section
no need for a spare tire in cyclocross... especially where there is the opportunity for a pit bike!

joe foley photo from lily pons