CX Hurts - The Journey

So, out to the RMR this A.M. for UtahCX #3. Got there at like 9 so Lyna could warm up for her 10A.M. race. As I didn't race till 12:30 I was getting kind of bored. Ran the battery down in the element, that was nice.

Lyna was leading her race for about half of it, she was gapping the field through the technical sections, I told her to go hard after them, well she did, and blew up, oh well, live and learn.athy Sherwin told her afterwards that it is good to do that.

So I get a good start spot for the A and 35+ start, come out of the grassy start section in the top 10, 2nd place 35+. Styed there for a few laps. the run up and subsequent off camber section killed me, Cowley, Jrad and Clawson bridged at different points, one lap on teh oval they were in front of me and i hit it hard to get in front before the 180, i skid the turn and little did i know that they were on my wheel the whole time, I was blown. After that I was tryin gto hold on, I rode the run up pretty much every lap after the 20 minute mark. Got caugh up in course tape by the stairs and was feeing OK. On the last run-up, i was half way up and my chain broke, as far away from the pit as possible. I ended up going from 6th in 35+ to 8th or 9th, maybe worse as a result.

I did 12 laps, which meant BartMang did 14. Below are my lap times, a nice steady decline.

4:16 - I'm in the lead group, Yeah
4:24
4:30
4:31
4:34
4:40
4:34
4:34
4:45 - COurse Tape
4:34
4:38
7:40 - Yeah Broken Chain

2 races out of 3 I have been able to hang up there the whole time. Stressful week at work and life in general, the evil run Tuesday night may of worked against me.

If you would of asked me 3 years ago if I thought I could hang in one of the front groups of A riders in a local cross race for half a lap,i would just laughed. It is amazing what focus can do. 6 years of racing. 4 years of focussed training and a bit of fearlessness adds up.

I just wish, sometimes, that I didn't spend my formative years jacked up on illicit subtances. Followed by 8 years of living a Peter Pan lifestyle in Kentucky. Would of Should of Could of, Didn't. Everything I did, got me to where I am today. And most of the time I am good with that. The gratitude I have for today is without parallel. I have a wonderful life, A wonderful Wife, friends, a hobby that while it consumes me at times, it truly makes me happy.

It is not the destination, it 's the journey.