Alright, so I was a little absent as of last season and I'm going to make an effort to put together a few words about the races I compete in this season but no promises; We're all busy and there's no use in filling up the internet with useless words unless there's something worth reading.
As of late there's been a whole lot of working and not a whole lot of training but it seems like that's always the case, regardless of how much time I actually spend riding.
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Kruger's Kermesse
(photo courtesy of Nita Galambos and Craig Ruby) |
Last week I raced Kruger's Kermesse with zero expectations and somehow wound up crossing the line third. I gained a place due to a guy flatting out of the lead group but apart from that I rode a solid race. I'm actually beginning to get a decent start and learning how to hold my position in the first lap. About time, it only took two years... Anyway, third place netted a whole basket full of farm goodies (do people still use that word anymore?) and a sizable gift certificate to Bike n' Hike. Not bad for a 50 minute training race. A special thanks to Kris Schamp, Kruger's Farms, Bike n Hike and all the sponsors that made the encore edition of this race happen this year.
Today's race was the first "real" cx race of the year. And yes, it's finally crept into August, le sigh... Again, no expectations, just show up, race hard and hurt the legs. Rumor had it Trebon would be there and sure enough there he was, right next to me on the start line. Well, guess I'm not winning today's race.
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David Douglas start line
(photo courtesy of Mattew Haughey) |
Something really funny happened the first lap. 1. My legs didn't suck. 2. I just sat on Trebon's wheel and let him pull me around for an entire lap. Starting the second lap I looked back and realized we had a 10 second gap. "Dear legs, what the hell do you think you're doing? This was fun and all but you're going to pay for that." I settled into a more manageable pace and went to work not losing too many spots. A 75 minute race in 90* heat kind of takes its toll so I had to settle for 5th but I will definitely take that. Looking at it now it was probably one of the best races I've ever had from a results perspective. I beat some guys I've never beaten before and I only felt limited by the heat, not lungs or legs. Hopefully there's more of this to come.
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over the barrier
(photo courtesy of Matthew Haughey) |
Oh, and one last parting note I've been selected to go race China's first UCI cyclocross race in September! More details to come but tentative plan is I fly out 9/17 and return 9/23. 11,000 miles for an hour race? Why not.
