Suc-cesssss!! (a la Borat)

Another weekend come and gone. Another weekend of cross racing come and (unfortunately) gone. The weather was unbelievable. Racing went off without any major hitches.

Apples and I drove out to Taylors Falls on Saturday to participate in the Red Barn Cross race. Unlike last weekend, the course featured almost entirely flat terrain -- there was only a solitary 25ft hill that was so steep it required one to dismount and run in order to overcome it (this is called a run-up). The course wound its way through a local tree farm off hwy 8 and featured plenty of fast corners meaning that handling skills would come in extra handy as would the ability to accelerate out of each turn. Finally, besides the run-up there was a triple barrier and a lonely single barrier toward the front end of the course that necessitated dis- and re-mounting.

All in all the race went very well -- I managed a 7th overall spot and 5th in my category. I made the hole-shot in the top 10 at the start of the race, and this placed me very well to have a solid race. I don't believe I gave up position to anyone except for Apples, who caught me half-way through the race. This was a bummer to be sure but he is still stronger than me so it was not a huge surprise. I rode his wheel for most of the final 3 laps until he got a flat in the last half of the final lap. I believe he still pulled off a top 25 finish, which deserves some modicum of kudos. So, OK -- good hustle, Apples.

Two more weeks left before the season is over and the time will come to start thinking about training for '09. Good times, as always.