X Border Clash

The first of my #'s in this series.

First lap in and I can't believe I'm in 5th place. I started right at the front but strongly questioned whether or not I could hold a spot up there. All I knew was that it would be crucial to be in a small but spaced out group of talented riders on the first approach to the "flyover" or else it'd be pile up city. Out of the curvy trees in 8th place and I could see it was going to be a clear approach so I generated some momentum, hit the transition and up I went to push the front of the bike over the top edge and glide smoothly down the other side. 

A couple "km" on the grass, across some energy sucking sand and into the single track and pump track section. Coming out of the first lap, I was in fifth place and feeling terrific. This was going to hurt but was going to be a good day. Over the course of the next two laps, I whittled away at the field and brought myself into third place. First place was about 15 seconds out front of me, but heading into the pump session on the last lap I was right on the wheel of second place, who was wearing pink socks. Pink Socks guy could spin on the pavement too, so had I to get across the skinny and out of the sand pit before he did to have a chance. I did it! Over the last hump and onto the asphalt toward the finish line. Pink socks hammers by me. "What the hell?", I said to him. "Is there another lap? I thought the last one was beer lap?" It was. The finish line is just ahead", he says.  CRAP! And I chase him into the chute for third place by a tires length. 

As my buddy Bob Welbourne said afterward though, "I'll never do that again". He's right. I learned a good lesson here, as I have with each of my races this year. Being new to the sport is great. It's an exhilarating sport. It gets the lungs burning and creates a perma-grin at the same time.

Yesterday's event in particular was right up my alley. Loads of tight corners, a skinny 2x6 over sand, a good size flyover that initially provoked some anxiety in me, and a brilliant single track section that ended on a loopy, little pump track.  Thanks for a terrific event Cascade Cross. I'm hoping to be at the Thriller Cross in December and the Chiller Cross in January. Check out the course below.

BorderClash2012-1

Huge Kudos and thanks to my bro-in-law, Mike Tunnah for kicking ass and taking 10th place and for pushing me to get on the cyclocross bad wagon in the first place. As well to the Lazy Trail Runner, Duncan Coo,  your fourth place Master this past Saturday. I likely wouldn't have tried CX without you boys.