W.Runton

Great picture of my childhood playground.



Thanks Rob for sending it on.

Back to St Olaf

The day started out cold with frost on the ground. By the start of the B-Race, the sun was up and it was perfect for 45 minutes of maxed out heart rate.
For the first time this season I was in the front row at the start. Not wanting to waist this opportunity I was keen not to miss the whistle, perhaps a little to keen...when another rider pulled out I jumped also before the start. I did a half track stand to acknowledge 'me bad' then took off as the whistle was sounded.
On the second lap coming down the gravel and rock path, my rear tire got a flat.

I was able to ride the rest of the downhill and run to the wheel pit. But that wheel change put me in the back of the race. From then on it was all about having fun and pushing hard.

Powderhorn

There is always that little nagging feeling that you may have left something behind on your way to the race. My glasses.

It was a good day for a race. Other than waiting around at the start line for 20 minutes. The girls came out to cheer me on (top right side of picture)

A great part about a cross race at Powderhorn, hills.

And then the A-race.

and then about 20 feet on....a 3 inch rusty nail ended my B-Race. I ran back to my spare wheels but I ran back down the course rather than all the way around the course. So, off to sign up for the A race. I change wheels and pulled out the nail from my rear wheel.

Hats off to anyone in the A race. An hours plus a lap is a long time.

4 minutes b-race...

Lake Rebecca

80 degrees is not cross weather (excuse #1) and having a baby at home doesn’t always allow for a timely departure from home (excuse #2). I managed to be the 3rd rider to the start line but after 10 minutes of riders trying to squeeze in I started in the second row. It was a ‘fast’ start with several riders on each side of the road trying to get out of the ditch, handle bars and all other bit’s of bikes got tangled as we took off.
This race has always been set up a little odd. The water bottle handoff is placed at the end of the fastest section of road…and the wheel section was just before that with no ‘pit’ to pull off the course into.
The photo shows the finish line tent on the left. The wheel ‘pit’ is just about 40 yards before that (at the bottom of the slight descent), the water handoff is just about where this picture was taken from.
The race was uneventful until the finish, coming down to the finish (where I had lost the sprint to the line last year and placed second) two people yelled to slow down! Slow down, this was the finish line, a place to sprint…. Turns out the group of riders just in front of me had hit a bystander. A woman and her baby.
I didn’t know this until about 10 minutes latter. I rode from the finish line down the course about 200 yards to get out of the way of other riders finishing and to catch my breath. At this point I was able to take a path off the course that goes back to the start / wheel pit area.
I picked up my spare wheels and started walking back down the course towards the parking lot looking for Natasha and Aria. I had gone about 20 feet before I overheard a race official say to a park ranger that a woman and a bay had been hurt. Suddenly I felt panic rush over me. I dropped my bike and wheels and quickly walked after them.
It was not my girls. I hope the organizers of the race rethink the course layout.

Sunday Muddy Sunday

Now this is classic Cyclocross. The Orono race has usually been dry and fast with the only obstacles being the volleyball sandpit, run-up and the distance itself. The hours of rain the night before and during the A race had made the course water logged and muddy. The schools running track hand standing water on it, the twisty grass sections on the far side of the course was converted into slick wheel sucking mud and the run-up a test of balance and perseverance. Those without spikes slipped.

I had a blast. After the first lap I had to hop off the course to remove my glasses as they were completely fogged up and with all the mud on them I could hardly see. I was better of riding without my prescription, plus it added to the grainy feel of the race. After loosing a few spots during my vision pit-stop I was able to slowly gain them back passing a few riders each lap.
I feel like I read the course well, finding places to run rather than ride and pass riders or make ground in the process.
My only regret was not changing out my wheels and riding with my ‘wheel pit’ wheels as they mud thinner tires with more tread that would have cut through the mud better.