At the registration table for today’s CX race in Walla Walla, I decided to upgrade myself to Category A. This was after about 20 seconds of rationalizing the level of competition versus my stellar performance over the last 2 years (beating half the field in one Boise CX Cat B race after half the field flatted). This decision cost me the race. That, and the fact that the field pulled away from me like a bus from the starting line. I survived one lap within sight of the A group and then the B group was upon me and they began picking me off, one at a time.
Eventually, there was only one known A Group competitor close enough to be my sole hope of moving up a spot. Luck was on my side when a little girl dove in front of him. The collision rattled him so much that he abandoned the race. Thankfully the girl was okay. I now owe her a lot of gratitude. Overall, it was a bad day for him since he also suffered ripped shorts in a starting line, non-moving crash. I’ve been to a lot of races this year with him. He is fun to race with, so I look forward to seeing him again on a better day. Soaren Over the Hills was impressive in the race. He lapped me right before the end of the race.
I was one of three locals at the race. We three older farts traveled over for an unofficial debut of Oregon Trail Racing. On my final lap, I noticed Rad Doc not far behind me. This meant he had been gaining ground significantly during the race, as his group started about 1 minute behind ours. Before the race, he revealed his race strategy was “to not break his equipment.” So in the end, trying to go as slow as possible in his first ever cyclocross race only netted him a 4th place. Fellow first timer Pro Bono Ciclo ended up in a fierce battle with the reigning US road champion. He ended up losing that race on a technicality, but later both Rad and I gloated that we held her off.
Somehow I earned some points by finishing the race. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the points. Seeing the black kitten out on the course was disconcerting. The glass pile was an ingenious hazard to put in a race. I really enjoyed the compost smell that was featured twice on the route. The pyramid of particle board was very scary the way it flexed while trying to pedal up. A clown crashed in front of me and Mr. Incredible passed me. Classic rock in the barn was very much Walla Walla the way I remember it. Overall the race was a good reality check for me. I need to start training and get in shape for some racing next spring.
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