Some People and a few dogs at NCVC's cyclocross race at Lily Pons
I have some pictures and some words about some of the people but only photos of one of the dogs
I am pretty much spent
it was time well spent
I am pretty much spent
this afternoon I left out Lily Pons feeling pretty good about the day
not so much that I performed so well or that I out performed my expectations
more that I got out there
had not been feeling all that inspired about the bike
legs have been feeling a little tired
the discipline about the bike has been a little lazy
lots of days off and not so many days on
been spending more time taking photos of bikes than actually biking
time taking photos of cyclocross is time not practicing cyclocross
even if that time is at cyclocross practice
this morning I left out the house a few minutes late
there was some anxiety that I had forgotten something
there was the requisite anxiety that I was not prepared
the anxiety was not grand because some of me was not so sure that I cared
post mountain bike season bicycle malaise
bicycle riding and bicycle racing malaise
it was a rainy wet day and I was feeling less than inspired
but it was not so much the day that had me uninspired
uninspired is how I have felt about the bike lately
It was late but not so late when I arrived
arrived and got my number with a little time to to spare for some warm up
up and out the main road and my legs were feeling flat
my nose was all stuffed up and I could hardly breathe
the nose was no issue... it is often blocked or clogged
it was more that the flatness of my legs was infecting my head
I pulled over and got off my bike
as I took a piss off is the brush just to the side of the road I relaxed
before I let things get to me I took a deep breath
not a nasal yoga breath because my nose was clogged
but a big open mouth fill the lungs breath
oxygen to my lungs and oxygen to my brain
I exhaled and thought... it is all better when on the bike
to which I had to fight back the argument in my head that I was just on the bike and well... it did not feel better
I reminded myself... it is all better on the bike
I was stoked to be there and I was stoked to see so many friends
I was excited to be racing
it is tough...
I was ready for the DFL
while always trying to avoid the DNF
the DNS needs to have a valid excuse and wet the day of a cross races is not a valid excuse for a DNS
there was talk with some friends
many of us were ready for the fight for DFL
but we were all ready for the fight to give it our all as well
I lined up aware that I had not pre-ridden the course and I had not actually warmed up
yet I knew I would be ready when the race started
then without an actual count down the race started
I was not entirely ready
the race had started and we were moving up the paved road to the prologue section that feeds into the course
it was tight and people were fighting forward
I was aware that things would thin out and I did not want to be pushed back as things thinned out
so I worked to move forward
tried to be respectful of other rider's efforts
tried not to go so hard that I had to stop after 100 yards
tried to ride smart
tried to ride within my limits... wanted to race but not blow up on the first lap
I keyed in on my DCMTB team mates Raul and Mark
it would be their pace that would be my pace
Mark has been looking strong this year and I knew it would be work to hang with him
it seemed like a task that would make for a solid effort and a decent gauge
Raul was more of a dark horse
with Raul I knew he was strong
but I was not sure of his capabilities as this is his first season of cyclocross
the course was a wonderful mix of slick and slippery challenges
it was not a Portland mud bog of absurdity
it was a ride-able race-able course that was wet and tricky at some points
a good bit of the course is made of hard packed gravel while other parts are jeep roads
some of the grass sections got more mucked up than others
there were sections of flat that I took on foot
it was cyclocross racing
the course change through the race
parts that were messed up got more messed up
a messed up that would be a different course by the time the fast Elite Men hit the course after everyone else was packed up and on their way home
it was a battle
a battle of the spirit
cyclocross often goes that way
I know I had a good race if I wanted to quit and if I nearly threw up after the race
okay... that formula works for bad races as well
I guess that is just cyclocross racing
the first lap was the most sketchy
it was funny... there were people more all over the course than me
what is funny is that some of these people beat me
the bike and body held up well
there was some sliding about the course
but no rear near crashes
and definitely no crashing
perhaps I would have done well to test my limits and risk the crash
but it is hard to justify fighting to change a space or a spot in the pack
I have not seen the results
not even sure of the numbers at the line
really only noticed the race within my race
the race where Raul finished first, I finished second, and Drajem finished third
this was not supposed to be my Race Report from the 2008 NCVC Ed Sanders Memorial Cyclocross event at Lily Pons
we will see if more words surface
if more images surface I should throw up more words
after seeing the results I can see that I was not as close to Raul's rear wheel as I thought I was
great race Raul!
that is a good reason not to keep track of the finishing times
okay... I love the times
the splits would be fun too
absurd to ask for
but fun to think about