Lanterne Rouge

Cross Season started for me & most of my fellow OCC Crossers Sunday in Leavenworth, KS. The weather was perfect & the course A++! Really fun & fast. KC has become my cross destination of choice. The day started for me @ the Ass Crack of Dawn @ the strike of 4:45. WOW that makes for a looonggg day with racing & then going to work.

John Jones fellow Masters racer extrordinaire rode up with me to hit the early Masters race. SVA, El Presidente, & SDJ weren't far behind showing up in time to watch us race to a 2-3 finish. Not bad for my first cross race since 1995. Plus I raced on the green machine which didn't take full life till 6pm the previous night. So its initial ride was the warm up laps. It did pretty good except for some chain throwing issues.

My dad is working in KC right now & his campground where he keeps his 5th wheel is only 11 miles from the course so he came out & cheered us on. My mom is starting to rub off on him after almost 35 years of marriage. He was all over the course shooting pics like a mad man. Each lap I'd see him in a new spot. But that is the beauty of a well laid out cross course its highly spectator friendly.

I was pretty tanked after the Masters but needing bike time John & I both ponied up to the start line of the B's race. I figured I had 2 all out laps left in me so @ the gun I got the hole shot & a little gap. I figured 1 of 2 things would happen: 1 I'd wear out some people for Scot & Cale or 2 I'd help pace them out to a lead. Well the plan sounded good till I dropped my chain in a turn. But a 3rd unplanned thing worked out. Some goof crashed into me on the side of the course. This gave Cale a gap which he stretched to about 15 sec. Then Scot bridged up & from there it was pretty much over. Scott TT'd to a solid win(I'm not sure but I think this was his first cross race) & Cale came in a strong 3rd. John rolled a tubey & had to bail. I lost count of the number of times I dropped my chain & my motivation with it. I did end up getting in 18 laps plus 4 warm up so was a good day training. Just worked myself into the ground in the process. But the plan is to keep doubling till I'm in shape or my legs revolt on me.

The C's race earned SDJ Skips title of Sandbagger(you have to race to be a sandbagger). SDJ beat up on the women & children to win his first cross ever on the 6 million dollar(bionic) bike. All that effort to win a lovely commemorative coaster. But I won't hold him to catting up since I now expect nothing less than a C's State Jersey. El Presidente got to share in some of my chain drop paradise of his own but held on to finish 8th on the day.

Next week is an off week for me but I'll be back in full racing mode the following week. So this week is going to be a week of beating myself up with intervals on the bike & on the track(workout in writing up front). I've now been almost 29 hours since I got up with only an hour nap so I think I'll go to sleep. Nighty Nighty.