It cant be over...I just started to find some fitness

Put a fork in me.

I have been mentally done racing for the past month. I have been going through the motions over last couple of races. It finally cumulated at States up in Lyons. Thank god that Brian and Vegas drove and they brought coffee to the house. Brian had mapquest directions, a full tank of gas and beer for after the humiliation that was about to be bestowed upon me.

Today’s weather was better suited for a polar bear rummaging around for some food in a garbage dump in Canada than racing cross. In a flat field with 5 inches of snow and temps in the teens or lower, I paid my money, pinned on a number and took my usual position, at least for this year, at the back of the group. Tom Hall kept me company back there. He races harder than anyone else in our group and should get an award for it, instead of the sandbaggers that have emerged this year.

The gun went off, the first crash happens in front of me and we are racing for the next 45 minutes. 20 minutes in, I start to feel good and start picking people off from my last row callup. With 2 laps to go, I tell myself,

“Self, there are only two laps left in the season. Time to start working hard and reel in some guys in front of you”

Hit the NOS bottle and it sputs and does not fire….what a surprise. As I am coming through the playground area, I go to put the bike down and slip on a piece of wood that marks the edge of the playground. I go down but the bike is still racing…at least it knows what to do. It did a 20 yard ghost ride still following the course. I get up, grab it in full motion and hop back on and take off. The next 90 degree corner and I am down again….man, this is starting to suck.

Get back on and I can hear people behind me breathing hard…not the good kind of breathing from a 900 number, but the breathing of someone who races cyclocross all year and has a hack that sounds disgusting. I open the smallest of gaps through the next barrier section and cruise to the finish. Cruise is an oxymoron, since I am sprinting for someplace in the mid 40’s.

Photo courtesy of mudandcowbells.blogspot.com and Longman

The season is over for this kid. It has been a blast as always. The season has been hard, fun, hot, cold, wet and everything in between.

Coming up next: What Belgium beer pairing goes best with the off season training program.