Northampton 2011

Wow.  What a weekend.

For me, I had a great race on Saturday.  That course amplified my strengths and didn't expose my weaknesses too much.  Sunday, more or less the opposite.  But it really wasn't the course as much as other things.

It is a great venue. I love that run up on day 1 and the ride up.  Those should be a part of every race version there.  It had flow for me on day 1.  day two wasn't terrible but I fucked up the sand on two separate laps, crashed hard into the right knee drawing blood and got some air time from Richard Fries "WILLI IS DOWN WILLI IS DOWN" I still have tread block stripes on the medial side of my right knee and a bit cut across the patella.  That hurt and tweaked a muscle just below the shoulder blade somehow.  Second time through I some how caught a pedal on the entrance to the second pass and catapulted my left knee into my bar plug.  Except I missed my knee and planned the end of the bar firmly in the medial quad.

Two F'ups in the sand, two nights of shitty interrupted sleep, and I think Chabot was f'ing with us and brought decaf coffee in his machine because the headache I woke up with (no beers even on Saturday) never went away.  Well until I plowed 10,000 calories into my belly, and took a nap before going to bed.

I was so wrecked I went to bed at 6pm.  But the squirrels had other plans and woke me up and I climbed out on the roof a couple times.  Being as wrecked as I was it was a struggle fitting through the half opened bathroom window out onto the shed addition.  I think the stupid tree rats are actually stuck in the house now.  Kind of worse than leaving it open and having them run in and out.  I hate the damn squirrels.  End of the night I was still tired but feeling more normal.

My knees are really sore, my lower back was killing me with two laps to go and started sucking watts and mental concentration.  Got to the course with only time to get 1/2 a lap in before the 3/4 women started.  Saturday I got two laps in before their race.  And again for some reason I only managed 1 and a short section of a pre-ride before the 45+ race started.  When I got 2 and a bit the day before.  Warm up was fucked up.  Headache was bugging me.  No amount of coffee seemed to be helping, just one of those times when my body just wanted to curl up and sleep.  It sucked.  And it was warm.  Hell I unzipped the skinsuit most of the way during the race I was so hot.  As on the game as I was Saturday I was off the game sunday.  Saturday I beat the race predictor by 8 places, Sunday I conceded three places but there was a guy with 516 Crossresults points in the race and so everyone was boned points wise because of him.  So that really kind of just rubbed more sand in the open wound of how much of a bummer Sunday was.  And of course the girls never do well with a full weekend of me gone, esp this time of year with as much going on as they have going on.  I don't know if I can do these doubles away anymore.  Might have to take a card from Coach Kurt soon, as in Lowell weekend soon. Actually it will likely be a break before Sterling.

Eco-cross is Friday, then there are the two days of Plymouth.  So potentially I can pack two weekends of racing into one weekend.  Saturday's options are both two hours away and Sunday is completely out of the question.

But NoHo 2011, all in all a fantastic race.  I wish I'd been able to pull my shit together.  I was holding off a group of 4 until we crossed the finish line to take the bell and they all motored past me in a section I usually am strongest in (not a good sign).  And I held on to their wheel until we got into the trees. I was just riding that poorly through there. If I'd been able to hold that position I'd have finished 46th and maybe even caught Gary A.  But I blew it and then two more guys came through and poof 6 places in one lap and I had no answer.  The only consolation? Their cross results points sucked too, even if I had 46th it still would have been for disappointingly shitty points.  But it was racing.  I was racing dudes and getting my ass kicked.  So could have used a driver for the way home.

Swung through my brother's farm and picked up a section of hardware cloth and said hey, headed home, up on the roof, stapled the shit in there.  Was tough though.  Car was good.  At I-90 speeds even.  Still took a long time.  Staying up there was the right call, even if having dinner at The Dirty Truth and NOT drinking kind of sucks.  Wait. I did that last year.  Although last year I had enough High and Mighty beer before dinner that it didn't suck so bad.

I'm a wreck.  A complete and total wreck.  In a good way.  Yesterday afternoon it didn't feel so good.  But hey Curtis had a great ride both days, and he's just so god damn positive and happy all the time. That's pretty awesome.

Another awesome moment was Myerson saying "I can be emotional you know."  Yes, Adam, we know, it is okay.  Like Fatmarc said "most of us are all emotional, you have to be to race for 20-40th place like we do."  Oh this is a great interview.  Tom kicked ass covering the race this weekend.

In reflection here on Monday morning it really was  a great weekend.  I so want Tom's sprinter/VW.  That thing looks H O T hot.

Eco-cross registration closes tomorrow at 5pm.  People are going to be complaining if they miss it, like last year.  Of course if I go I need to remember too, that $10 late fee is a good incentive to pre-reg.

Once I dig through the camera photos i might add a few up here or there.

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