Boulder CX #2

Sunday's race was down south of Boulder at the Broomfield Interlocken East Park. Faia told me the course would be nice and Euro-style, complete with lots of off-camber grassy sections, made all the more interesting due to the previous day and night's snowfall. I got the hole shot for the first time of the season. Only because I clipped in immediately and had 3-4 good surges on the pedals. I rounded the first corner and comfortably held 1st or 2nd for the first lap. After the 2nd and 3rd laps I was comfortably in 3rd position, and we had a nice gap on the rest of the field. About mid-way through the race I was rounding a slick concrete corner and my front wheel washed away, and down I went. Stupid! I had re-con'd this corner perfectly in practice, and even then I noticed my front wheel slipping and thought I should tone it down there in the race. But to no avail. After bouncing off my knee and elbow I quickly got up and hopped back on the bike. About 5 guys passed me and I was in the top 10 still. The rest of the race was okay, though my speed was a hair down as I was mentally blown by the stupid crash and losing the speed and latch of the front group. The running was not my forte, about 100 yds per lap, all at one spot on the course, basically up and down across a volleyball pit a couple times per lap. I ended up 8th on the day, not all that bad out of a field of over 60, but it doesn't sit too well knowing I can and should be on the podium every weekend. I think the weather will be favorable the rest of the week, and I can get in some good time on the bike leading up to the big USGP races in early November at Xilinx, my favorite course, and the Boulder Cup. It was great having Helen and Alina there watching, in what will be Alina's last bike race as a little girl under 1, as tomorrow is her birthday. It was also nice to race in true wet and muddy cyclocross conditions. Luckily it wasn't the stop-in-your-tracks mud like the day before at Arapahoe, but still more true to the sport's heritage than our typical dry hardpack courses. I'll prob skip next weekend's race at Boulder Res as my parents are in town to help out with some things.