"There is an eagle in me that wants to sore and a hippo in me that wants to wallow in the mud" Carl Sandburg
The first Sunday in December,
and the last CX race was here.
The beautiful warmish weather
Brought to Larry a tear.
Bah Humbug said Larry and Chuck
This is CX without reason.
You newbies have no idea
of the 2009 season.
There is no snow or ice
no frozen body parts.
The weather quite pleasant
which is a stab in our CX hearts.
On Sunday the 4th
dawned my very last race
of my first CX season
could I keep up with the pace?
 |
| The Chute |
The course a bit scary
This thing called the chute
Going so fast downhill
Others may find a hoot
Instead I did see
a power course I did like
except for that descent
which could break both me and my bike*
I watched the Cat 4 Men
and the 35+/45+ gents too.
4 or 5 laps to race
I will probably vomit some gu.
The pre-ride was okay.
At a leisurely gait
But to think of 5 laps
I would so most dearly hate
Those barriers and the remount
My nemesis of old
The run up in mud
Would my racing mind fold?
Could I keep it together
And race without fear?
Push through the pain
and the doubts I would hear?
Before our race whistle blew,
An elite rider was down.
Such words to the peloton
Always bring a frown.
Our race did start
and I was 2nd on the course
a mtb racer in front
she was as fast as a horse.
 |
| Remounting Queen.....well....at least not the Court Jester |
We slowed by Erin,
who was still on the ground.
And raced over the barriers,
My remount quite sound.
Up the mud hill and beyond
I was on her wheel tight
Until the downhill
and realized my plight.
She is a mountain biker
to her this is cake
I just hope to survive
both the downhill and the mud lake.
She gained some ground
But my mistake was not a flop.
When we crossed the road by the start
our race did stop.
For Erin was badly hurt
and an ambulance needed
We all were silent
and in our mind pleaded
Racing is fun,
and we all want to win.
And sometimes we find
The peloton as our kin.
An idea was spread,
Was the race a no-go
Or should we ride
and just go slow?
After 30 minutes or so,
We were stressed and rather cold
The doubts in my head,
had time to catch hold.
When the elite women started
and soft-pedaled as we could see
We agreed to do the same
A sort of female unity.
I could imagine SW's words**,
"WHY are you not racing?
You can win this thing!
WHAT is with your pacing?"
With the exception of one
Who had not heard the scoop
Emily and I led the pack
Around the first loop.
Another girl went off the front,
So we picked up the pace.
2 laps down from a planned 5,
this had turned to an odd race.
We had become a group of four,
The pace was not fast.
We crossed the line
and the 2011 W3/4 MABRA Super8 season was past.
And kudos to the Bike Lane
for a race so well run.
A course that created pain
and, since it is CX, a great deal of fun.
* - artistic license for the poor grammar
** - bad sign that I am hearing voices in my head?
Comments about this blog? Contact me at dmstryk@gmail.com
