smote like sheep

ow.

i can admit it...

i can.

i got served.

it was one of the biggest single servings i can remember.

it was my first race back from being injured and i had no expectations of going out there and pwning the field, but damn, leave me some pride please.

the peak season cx race in watsonville, just south of santa cruz was going to be my triumphant return to cyclocross racing.

not.

i entered the 35+ B cat to try to ease my way back into racing after a six month absence.

i was fourth into the first turn and held this spot for about thirty seconds. then i started to feel tired. one of the things you should do after not riding a particular bike for six months is give it a once over before entering a race on it.

i was pleased with myself for nailing all of my remounts after barriers and run up's like it want' no thang. however, with every remount the seat pin would drop down into the seat tube about a quarter or third, maybe a half of an inch. it was like racing a BMX bike on a sticky cross course. that sucked as though nothing had sucked before.

the absolute highlight of the day was being the only person i saw in my cat to be able to ride the big run up and i did it every lap. i must admit to once having to plead to kathleen from freewheel, who was out a her warm up lap to "give me a push!" so i could keep from falling over after having done so on the last lap since i was spiking my heart rate by 20bpm to do it each time. i was a wobbly goblin on the last go at the top after the transition to the fire road climb that was the exit.

i found myself getting passed, and passed, and passed. oft times by peeps that i knew i was allegedly stronger than. then i was stopping once or twice per lap to pull the post up and lock it back into place; forever slipping back into the ranks.

well, i knew i'd have to get my arse kicked a few times to get my form back, so now i have a starting point for the next race. i'm accustomed to placing in the top 1/4 percentile of any race so placing in the rear 1/4 stung. whatev's. now i've got a goal to set my sights on.

i did have another ray of light during the day that i would like to tell you about and that was having no less than six other dudes, both ahead of and behind me, drop it in the slick mud. my mountain bike skills kept me upright whilst others around me failed. the off camber down hill, the slick corners around the stables and the muddy turns in the open field section all claimed their victims directly in my line of sight and i manged to ride through them all without getting any mud on my awesome sheila moon pink floral skinsuit. i felt like tom cruise in day of thunder... "drive through it!"

like any day of racing, there were up's and down's. i'll keep you posted on my future triumphs and defeats.

cheers!