Monday, September 27, 2010

Week 3 Coming up, USGP Report...

Hey everyone, looks like the season has started, ready or not. The Madison USGPs have come and gone and we are heading into week three of Viroqua Cross. Thursday will have some new folks coming to to race; local MTBers will be hitting it as well as the usual cast of characters. Looks like a 35min format, dropped riders welcome to pit and catch back as needed. Have fun, race as hard as you can. That's the point, right?

A bunch of us did the USGPs this weekend. Jay and Dick hit the 4s on Saturday and had some fun. The consensus was that a 6th row start and a few crashes out of the gun pretty much seal the deal... Yep, that will do it! The start is important, but it's tough to battle through that many dudes and get in the winning break. The first race is to registration!

I had a 5th row start but battled forward, was in the top 10-15 guys and felt pretty good. It was fast but doable. On the second lap I totally crashed at the barriers... guess I was due! Pretty aggravating but I battled back, kept calm. Lungs locked up again, did some weird coughing-barfing. Thought about dropping out but instead sucked it up and pedaled around and felt okay. Kicked off the brakes, bobbled a few more times... it happens man! My first season, everything was usually smooth. Now, maybe not so much.

Whatever is going on for me health-wise is a bummer, but man I had fun racing in that big a group. Moving up during the first lap was a blast, getting chopped in the corners and bumping is somehow super-fun. It'll come around and I will be healthy, all isn't lost. It's nice to not get a result but remember that racing is fun and should be considered process driven. I train a bunch and can get all mental regarding results, but if I have trained and have put the time in it is nice to race and be present. Maybe that is what guys say as the get older and slower... but even though I have coughed up a lung in the last two races, I am relaxing away from the 'what-if' type thinking. I did throw up after the race, but I also did finish. Maybe I put myself out and dug a hole health wise, but I doubt it.

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