For starters, RedCross 2.0 was a cyclocross race on a motocross course. All mud, all technical. Still, I finished 5th in an open field and won the Collegiate A race.
I got 2 hours of sleep on Saturday night, woke up sick from walking in the cold rain, and drove 3 hours to Saratoga Spa CX. My race there defied description: it was cold, rainy, and miserable, and I was sick and tired, so I was off to a bad start, despite the course being great for me. My back shifter wasn't working, then I tipped over in a corner and managed to jam my brake into my wheel, so I rode a full lap with a brake on. Then, Charlie gave me his bike in the pit. His bike is the same frame, but very very very different setup. Wow. Then, my bike came back to me a lap later, and immediately the chain jammed. Then, the front shifter wouldn't work. I finished last in a field of 11. I may have finished better if I hadn't had mechanical issues, but frankly, I wasn't in the race. On the bright side, I won collegiate A's, since I chose to race the open women's field. It was a pretty legit field too!
The one shining moment both days was when I was taking the barriers and doing remounts. The guys said on Saturday that mine were the best out of the field, and on Sunday, a guy pointed me out as a great example of how you should take barriers.
Finally, we were heading home, and my mom called to tell me that my great uncle, who I was really close with growing up, just passed away on Saturday. So, sick, sad, and very tired, I finally got home. Hearing about Uncle Steve made me realize how trivial one race really is. He was awesome, a minor league baseball player back in the 50s, and he and my aunt owned an amazing ice cream place where I had my first job. I'm going to miss him very much.
I'll end on a happier note though, because there are still plenty of things to make me smile:
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| Charlie and I with the 2 cutest puppies on the planet, right after my race on Saturday. |
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