Well, last week was an eighth-place week. It appears that this week’s number is ten. I guess I’m slowing down. The truth is that with these local races, it all depends on who shows up. I could have a great race and finish 15th, and I could just as easily have a bad race and finish 4th, if no one shows up. That said, it might also be true that I’m getting slower.
Tuesday Night Running Race: 10th place
Wednesday evening Cyclocross: 10th place
I was just happy that I got to do the ‘cross race. My bike broke while I was warming up. The chain got snagged on the derailleur and snapped the hanger. I walked back to the start, very dejected. The race organizers, Bruce Ross and Patrick McGownd, saw my situation and jumped into action. First they tried to find parts to fix my bike. When that was hopeless, Patrick loaned me his bike and they found tools so I could swap the pedals. They did all this WHILE they were also running the pre-race meeting, five minutes before the start. They certainly went above and beyond, and I really appreciated it.
The bike was small (52 cm, whereas mine is 58cm), but I was just glad to be riding rather than driving home early. And I’ll leave you with a great photo. I think the caption should be “I just realized I’m going too fast down a muddy, rooty, narrow trail on a bike that I’ve never ridden before.” either that, or simply, “Uh oh.”
Photo: George Stransky. Here’s more.
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