Gee, I was going to add a comment, but then I realized that hey, I can actually write a post...Anyway, law school is a blast...10lbs case books, 12 page memos, pointless research, authorities (sources) and procedures "oozing and ruling us from the grave of medievalism"...Oh yeah, you have to love it. Just finished ungraded midterms, and although I received feedback on only one out of four exams, we were informed that it was for our own good, and at least I didn't get the dreaded "invitation" to visit with the professor as result.
Cross season started little over two weeks ago and my happiness is proportional to the bruises, bumps and scrapes I am currently sporting. At the first Tuesday night race I missed the preride and the invisible culvert in the farmer's field, you know, the field where you can bury yourself at 20 mph...Until you hit the culvert...That was interesting. So was the 15 meter portage through the Rio Grande, a thoughtful touch by the organizer. That night, other than relaxing with my beloved torts book, me and N. spent the evening counting contusions. A couple days later me and N. went climbing in AZ, which was GREAT FUN, but due to vertical grace developed over 18 months of climbing inactivity, I did nothing to regenerate lost skin.
Returned to Abq. drove support for the James Quinn memorial ride (tragic, but his whole family along with eight police vehicles and around 300 cyclists attended) which I spent in the company of 83 year-old Gus the Pig Farmer whose pacemaker was acting up (fascinating guy...really), washed the Rio Grande mud off the bike and got ready for NMCX #1 at Journal Pavilion. Race day morning I pulled into the parking lot and started slobbering as soon as I saw the course. Lots of pavement, little sand, a hard run-up and beautiful chicanes through the grass soccer fields. Then I heard..."Hey, there are soccer games going on!" And just like that, my fantasy cross course turned into the "Tour de Sand Pit" (after they rerouted everything). Anyway, I started out well (that means in last place for me) and steadily worked my way through the field for about half a lap until an excitable junior I was about to pass dove past me in a sandy corner, went down, and I along with several others piled right into him. Race over, rode in circles some more in the sand, fell over a couple of times, finished 17th out of 26 in the B's. At least I was not last.
NMCX#2 was at Girard Strip Park. No, not THAT kind of strip park, but a narrow quarter mile long strip of deep grass. Can you believe that they put a mile long course on this thing? Yep, after a leMans start, you rode really hard for 50 yards, 180 degree turn, ride really hard for 20 yards, 180 degree turn, ride really hard, 180 degree turn, ride really hard, 180 degree turn, run over barriers, ride really hard, 180 degree turn.....You get the drift...I loved it, and despite losing a place in a crash on the last lap and my left lung somewhere on the course, I scored my first top 10 of the year. NMCX#3 Tomorrow.
NMCX#3 returned to the Journal Pavilion/Mesa del Sol. Remembering "Tour de Sand Pit" 1.0, I was a bit leery of Tour de Sand Pit 2.0. What a pleasant surprise when I saw the course! Long straights on packed dirt with only a few deep sand sections made for a FAST circuit...That is if it wasn't for the wind. As one of the local strong men observed, "You could not help but ride hard into the wind. If you didn't, you would just stop and tip over. That wind bit like a rabid hooker trying to get an extra five dollar tip." Ok, I didn't get the analogy either, but it sure was windy and cold. But hey, it is an outdoor sport so I was planning to enjoy the balmy 40 degrees when the wind was at the back. I took the start in better position than usual and hit the first corner in 14th place. By the end of the first lap I was in 10th and sat there for the next forty minutes. Then it got fun...I caught Eric the 9th place guy, and he immediately glued himself to my wheel. I dragged him around the first half of the last lap, when we were caught by another guy. I sucked his wheel until the first barrier section where he stopped, and I ended up out of the barriers at the front of the group. Now we were riding full on into the wind on a quarter mile, exposed, flat stretch...And I was dragging both of them. "No way", I thought. I stopped pedaling and they stopped pedaling, I even tried the trick of waiving them through, but they still would not pass! "Pass me damn you!" I screamed in my head, but no, unless we wanted to collect more riders I would have to ride. I accelerated, and opened a gap which I maintained until the last long run-up 300m before the finish. Now this is a long run-up, and I have what could be referred to as legs that are on the short side. This uncommon crosser affliction does not help when sprinting uphill with a bike on your back. (If I knew how to use damn blogger, I could post a most ungainly photo to demonstrate) I remounted, looked behind me...And holy crap! They were right there! I look ahead...And holy crap! 8th place is only 10 yards in front! All the sudden I was not just riding circles in a sand pit...This was a bike race! How did that happen? I buried the pedals and never caught 8th, but didn't get caught either, though we all finished within a second of each other. Two top tens in a weekend...I'll take that. Oh, and by the way, If anyone saw my right lung somewhere out there, I'd like it back.
Next week, NMCX#4 Wildflower Park...A course I would not wish on my worst enemy...But friends are "ok". The grass there is DEEP.
See you in a few months...T
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