Pedaling Hard

This weekend was my first double dosage of cyclocross ever. Saturday was looking to be an epic race with Friday night getting some snow on the ground. But the course was only just a little wet when it came time to race at 2 o'clock. I started from the back row again because I showed up late. This made things a little difficult at first but moved up to 4th pretty quick and was holding good position for a few laps but then was caught by one guy. We swapped laps being on the front and with about 4 laps to go my front tire started to get a slow leak but luckly I had slim in the tube which saved me. I couldn't hold the speeds that I was going with the other guy through the off camber switch backs because my tire wanted to roll of the rim. I was charging the straight aways and ended up hold off 6th place, not by much. It was awesome yet my sholders hurt from carrying my bike 3 times per lap.

Sunday's race was the course backwards but had a few diffrent things going for it. I had been talking to Sam Krieg, and we were talking about getting good starts and the whole shot. It's so important to get a good start. So I worked on my crank position this week and the right gear. I got it right because I was first into the corner and first into the first set of the barriers and a half lap. It was awesome. This was the first time I have seen the front of a cross race. I'm thinking it's not going to be the last time either. So I was running 4th place pretty much the whole race and holding my ground on 5th place. I don't know what exactly happened but going into one of the barriers, I got messed up and got my biker really tangeled up in the barrier. I got passed by 5th and was super frustrated and didn't know how to get my bike untangeled from the barrier because I was so flustered. Then i figured it out and chased down 4th place Brandon A. the Idaho State Road Race Champion. Yeah he schooled me that day and I was thinking he was going to do it again (Brandon is sick too). So I fallowed him for the next 5 laps or so just waiting to attack at any miss hap, but nothing he just to good. So i just waited for the last 100m pass into a sharp left hand turn. and a quick sprint then a 180 degree turn to the finish line. I got him! Yet I felt like a punk by sitting on his wheel and not pulling and knowing that he was sick. But I wanted to be the taller midget out of the two of us. My sholders are killing now, I should have been doing some lifts with my arms but this way I will only be as strong as I need to be no more.

Cross is super fun but it's still just for keeping me fit through the fall months and not losing any fitness. I'm still looking to do something special on the road bike again next year.

next week is a single race again at eagle

I'm going to start training with power again this week because I'm really thinking about making it to collegiate cross. in Kansas City, KS 13, 14 of December but depends on if the school will help send me there.