First REAL cross race

During the cyclocross season this year I was racing on Spencer's Santa Cruz Superlight (full suspension), which for a mountain bike is somewhat light and responsive. However, it is like riding a sloth when compared to a bike designed specifically for cross racing. For the last race of the season, I was able to borrow one of Spencer's cross bikes (he raced single speed while I raced geared). It was an entirely different experience, the bike was rigid!

While racing, I was able to start off strong and stay right behind Spencer for the first half lap. After that I slowly lost steam and got passed by 6 people (or so). On the second lap, I took a turn too tight, and smacked my arm into the light post that defined the inner boundaries. Undeterred, I pushed onward. I stayed back until the final straightaway on the second to last lap. The last person to pass me was still close, and I was able to draft off of him until the corner, where I passed him on the barriers. I pushed it to make a gap and ended catching up to a few of the people who had passed me before. I ended up passing a couple of them, with not much time left I was within catching distance of the racer in front of me. As I approached the final corner I kicked it into gear and by the barriers I was right behind him. I dismounted, took a leap over the first barrier, and slipped. Fortunately there was a very large gap between me and the people behind me, but I had lost my chance to pass one more person in a pretty awesome way. After a quick recovery, I ran across the finish line breathing hard and with an urge to unleash the contents of my stomach back into the world.

Overall, it was a good race for me. There was a lot of passing for such a small race, and I got to use a cross bike. I ended up getting 3rd place out of 7, which is better than I have done before. Next year I plan to actually have my own bike, and participate in more races. For now I just have to train.