What a mess!!!

Last month, it had appeared Verona, WI has been absent from receiving any form of precip for quite sometime. Ground frozen deep and hard made the circuit really fast. The profile would suit me well as there was a good amount of elevation gain/loss. Often it is the least expected that happens during cyclocross races, like, not unclipping at the base of the railroad-tie staircase on the opening lap and losing contact w/the two leaders. Apparently, I jarred my tuke that I was wearing under my helmet forward when I laid myself out during that digger. So, while giving chase, my vision was obstructed by that damn thing and there wasn't enough room for me to cram it back up w/gloved fingers. In hindsight, I should have just stopped and taken my helmet off to remove it but playing the coulda-shoulda-woulda game is something not worth dwelling on for me. Passing over the barriers I realized that I had to hand off my glasses to Chris on the next lap in order to deal w/my problem. I'd bring back one of the guys on the bell lap to stand 2nd on the podium and leave w/a little cash for supper in the Dells on the way home!!
If this sight is appalling then cyclocross is not for you!

Returning last week proved to be an entirely different challenge @ the same venue. When everyone heard Wisconsin in January to host Cyclocross Nationals, expectations were for nothing but ice, snow, and freezing temperatures. Instead, conditions looked similar to a fall weekend, however, to us riding it was like something we don't get many opportunities to practice. During the holidays, they got a little snow, it melted, turned into a skating rink prior to opening day of racing, and lastly.....unseasonable warmth! Chatting amongst fellow racers at our hotel the night before that got a chance to pre-ride on Tuesday, said, "if you race later in the afternoon then don't bother checking it in the morning as conditions change by the hour." So, Jen & I would hang low in a conference room and dork away time on the iPAD until it seemed appropriate to drive over to Badger Prairie Park. It was really nice having Jen there as this was the only event of my season that just her & me got to make alone and it was a classy one. We walked a lot of the course watching another race going on prior to mine and quickly observed how much trouble athletes were having keeping the rubber side down. My best description is, imagine moving over frozen soil that was rock hard except for the top 1/4-inch thawing under you upon making contact. Turning in the corners had speeds being reduced as no ruts were able to form makeshift berms. I was going back & forth on tire pressure as mechanics in the pits were switching it up constantly. Getting the nod from a USCF official in the booth that the course was free to be on, I went out to hopefully grasp things. Well, that didn't happen, I was all over the map but chose to keep this to myself rather that share it w/Jen. She likes to get really competitive and kick me in the ass when my tone of voice isn't to her liking. According to other sanctioned events, the points system predicted that I would suck which meant I barely got called up in staging to begin in the 5th row!!!!! Fortunately, it was a clean start that saw no crashes. About two minutes into the first lap a rider went down in a turn and I rammed into his back w/my front wheel. Straddling my stem, I almost suffered an endo but escaped unscathed by shuffling around him. Oddly enough, it was definitely more tricky to be running than pedaling. The slick nature of everything quickly intimidated me which got under my skin but I refused to go down w/o valiant effort. I took every risk within my ability but gaining time on riders ahead of me just seemed impossible. Equipment choice for once put a governor on each rider but those possessing mad skills factored into the equation too. On my limit, I'd dab the ground many times during moments of helplessness...wondering...is this my best or is there any way to eek out advancing??? In the end, I finished 24th which came fine to me. My peak flew by maybe a week and a half earlier as I lost sharpness but didn't fade as splits proved. For me, having the bell lap quickest of all when my bike weighed 3x as much w/organic matter sticking to it brought joy. However, finding out the water truck went dry just before I got in line, put me in another mood.

Kind of strange to begin a new year in a race of such high caliber but how can a guy complain. I won't be seen in any form competition for the remainder of winter as my body & mind need a break. Getting outdoors amongst like-minded runners on the snomo trail is echoing to me from the woods. Ambitions surrounding this idea will reveal big desires in the future.