Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like This

sleep walking/shuffling to the pit

 10 races in the books with this past weekend in Sterling MA  and you'll likely agree

that #10 will not/should not be

my lucky bingo number. The day started race routine..well almost.

 Apparently I've managed to skip the chapter on "How To Pin Your Race Number On" because

I was responsible for pinning not one, but two  race numbers upside down.

 Cyclocross course designer Tom Stevens, left his signature  flair all over this one. Lots of technical, off camber 

twisty, winding gotta-use-your brain- stuff. 3 solid ez course inspection laps and I felt primed and ready for the early morning women's 3/4 race on Sunday.

 Perhaps I should have taken the number pinning snafu as an indicator of  how the day may unfold. Within seconds of sending us off the start line, 2 girls were down on the ground in front of me lying in a twisted pile. 

I stood there for what seemed like 5 minutes, then scrambled to get AROUND them while the rest of the field was getting away. DARN IT....

Not a good start for me... I need all I can get to stay within reach of

some of these girls.  Slightly miffed I was already in a deficit. I brushed it off trying to focus on staying in contact with whoever I could and everything was seemed peachy.

Not 5 minutes had passed and the peachy-ness bubble burst. I found myself at a stand still (again) staring down at my rear wheel with my tubular completely off except for one small section. I contemplated rolling it back on but it was taking too long so I just

picked up my bike and started running with it  around the course to the pit that was

conveniently located on what seemed... the other side of the planet.

I was TRASHED shouldering my bike hoofing it around that course.  In hindsight, I should have
taken the time to get the tire back on and THEN gingerly ride it to the pit. 

Finally I got to the pit (gasp) but not without feeling the love of sympathy cheers on the way.

A quick wheel change and back out I went deflated and wondering "what is the sense?"Quickly weighing the options, I realized I'd feel worse not making the effort to continue so off I went....  to burn up some Thanksgiving onion dip calories, use the course as another opportunity to gain some experience, get in a workout for the day.  Good enough.

Reason # 3 (or is this #4?) why I shoulda maybe slept in....

 I wore socks I normally don't wear this day. Why? Strictly a fashionista decision, pink of course.

Short "no show" socks that  I quickly felt but ignored, slipping down around

my heel. At the next hilly section, my shoe came off as I dismounted my bike. The sock-less  heel must have been slippery enough to cause my foot to come right out. Joy!

**Picture tall girl you just saw running by with a broken down bike is now back leaving one pink sock on the side of the course while trying to wedge naked foot  now grassy and muddy  back into a shoe .**  

Shoe on and rolling again, I was left to play-  Lets see how far you can get before the top girls lap you game. It wasn't long and sort of fun to see how many seconds I could stay with them as they seamlessly AND politely scooted by me.   A day full of unexpected mishaps but that is part of cyclocross I am learning  and no one is immune from it.  Ok..maybe the sock and number screw up. :-)   


One more race on tap this weekend but not without a freshly glued tire, a number pinned
on correctly, a Garmin that is working  and socks that don't suck my shoes off. 
Hup! Hup!