A few inches of snow blanketed the MidWest and it made for 2 incredible races with sloppy off-camber sections and slimy run ups. After the races our bikes and ourselves were covered in a mixture of ice and mud.
Saturday was a real battle. I was thinking that not many people would be there but 2 full collegiate teams showed up with 30 starters in the Elite field. It was a real battle of attrition, many riders succumbing to the greasy turns. I tried to keep it safe and power certain sections where I could. There was a crazy hill section that was so sloppy. I had a decent race, but I was pulled early due to the 80% rule. I felt a little peeved because it was a local race and I had two riders only 10 seconds ahead of me. It turns out I was 16th and perhaps I could have placed into the coveted money spots. But I was very close to being in the top 50% of the race, which I haven't been very close to before.
Sunday was hell. I woke up and nearly decided to not go. I was really sick and had a temperature. The day and the race was a blur. But somehow I did okay. I ended up not being last place, and not getting lapped. But I felt like death afterwards. I had a fever and started getting sick at dinner! What an idiot.
But I did it for a reason. With the last race being double points I was able to slip in and tie with Ryan Knapp for 10th place in the OVCX Elite Category!
I've been feeling a bit bummed the last few days. I'm not sure if it's lack of sunshine, just recovering from that bug or the cyclocross season ending. Last year I rode my bike through the holidays to ward off extra pounds but I haven't had the desire to get back in the saddle.
Perhaps I'll do the CapCity finale this weekend — I was looking forward to it a few weeks ago but now I feel like I'm phoning it in. 33 races this year and even though I love the Lobdell course it is over 2 hours away. We'll see, it will be lovely to see my Columbus friends just before Christmas. Last year I had the benefit of a lot more momentum going into the holidays.
A special thanks to Dion Easthouse for the gorgeous photography and an early Christmas present: a nice, big bottle of Chimay.
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