[GW] Moorhead CX report

[Lynne]

Whew, racing is tiring (especially when you drive 4 hrs to/from!).  I placed 2/4, but that doesn't do justice to how pleased I am with how it went today.  
   
  This course has greasy mud (much more so than last year), grassy areas (a nice break from the harder stuff), a sweet off camber grassy uphill, single track, a small rideable hill in the muddy area, a single barrier, a double barrier and a single barrier in front of the mud runup, finishing on asphalt (not all of that is in order).  So, personally I think it's a tough course.  
   
  C's being first, we of course got the muddiest ride of the day.  I was sliding hither and thither, but held it and never crashed or put my foot down (which I had to do last year, so I'm tickled pink with making it through that).  I had a huge disadvantage in that I run really wide tires that don't have center knobbies (they have furrows that run perpendicular to the rims).  So they fill up with the mud and it's like riding on slicks.
   
  Unlike last year, I wasn't the only woman, yay!  Benita was there, some woman I don't know and BW Annie trying her first CX race. 
   
  I'm so happy because it was night and day from last year!! I started at the back because I couldn't prevent a slide and didn't want someone to run into me (that would SUCK if I got injured on this first race).  
   
  But thanks to practice, practice, practice at the GW clinics and then practicing that some more by myself, I didn't have to stop in front of any of the barriers, I was able to hop right on after the barriers without completely stopping, I was able to ride the mud, I rode up the small mud hill (which I had to dismount and run last year) and I made the off camber perfectly every time.  
   
  One time I did have to actually stop and find my pedal-the last lap after the double barrier because I was totally exhausted.  Someone please let Jessica know that I can't thank her enough for teaching me to grab the bike by the downtube on a double barrier!  That was sweet, I was able to run it without slowing, that completely made my day!!  
   
  Like last year I did fine on the carry and runup (I think that's from the years of hiking/climbing) and this year was no different. 
   
  So while I started at the back, I stayed ahead of Benita (which doesn't sound like anything, but last year I always had to catch her and a couple times I think she finished ahead of me), and I caught and passed Annie!  I actually finished at least a few minutes ahead of her.  I kept looking back for her, thinking she would put the gas on once she had someone to chase, but I passed her and never saw her again.  SWEET!  I also passed a couple of guys and a junior and none of the juniors caught me this year (embarrassing, but getting the idea how bad I was last year for most of the year?)  I never met or saw the woman who won our category-but there's always next year when I run the right PSI and the right tires.
   
  Drove home after the race, so I am completely and utterly exhausted.  I'll be at St. Cloud, but this being the first weekend, I'm a little worried because I biff the technical stuff when I'm tired! That's racing, better get used to it ;-)
   
  Lynne

       
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