I should have seen it coming

DCCX, Washington, DC. Great race. Great venue. Great swag. I've done well at this race. Got there with time to spare, (thanks, in part, to the new Garmin Sam bought me) get a good warmup, take the spare wheels to the pit, and line up about 4 rows from the back. Sign #1.
Great. The whistle blows and I stomp on it-need to get as many places as possible before the cluster-f$ck at the sharp left up the hill. Didn't help. Someone goes down in front of me and Thor plows into the back of me. Sign #2.
recover from that and start going up through the trees, trying to again gain ground. Guys are riding like it's a friggin joy ride.Sign #3.
Get around a few. Head down through some turns and OMGWTF someone bites it RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. No where to go. I ride OVER him. Almost. It causes me to go over the bars. Sign #4.
No one is hurt, fortunately. I race hard and start picking off riders. I see a pack of about 10 that I keep gaining ground on. I have 2 laps to go and I'm pretty confident I can catch them. I rail it around the sharp right up to the barriers, go up as fast as I can, remount, and try to do the same on the next sharo right heading to the steep, but rideable runup. Nail a tree root I didn't see, it knocks my rear wheel up in the air at a weird angle. I recover, quite impressed with myself, but something's wrong. Tire is rubbing the frame. Rolled the friggin tubie. The pit is WAY over the other side of the finish line. I pack it in. Final sign. DNF.
Now I have a weekend off coming up. Guess I'll be gluing that tire.

I will still probably suck

But I'm going to smell hella good at the start line @ DCCX. Just ordered up some of Mad Alchemy's "chocolate wish" embro. Bam!
 

A mudder?

I am not. I think my results can attest to this. 40 something today. I suppose it could have been worse, since I took the wrong exit of the turnpike (I've been to this race at least 4 times, I should know how to get there, right?). Got there with barely enough time to get dressed and out on the course for a brief warm up (5 ish minutes). The course was really muddy but rideable in most spots. I got a decent start but lost places when my legs just didn't respond to the effort, due, largely, to my lack of warm up.

1st time around the spiral of death and down I went. The Fangos were supposed to grip better than that, or so I thought.

I was able to get some real estate back on the grass and pavement but couldn't run the run up very well. I'd lose spots in the turns but gain on the straights.

All in all, it was hard but fun. I wound up going down like 3 times but didn't really care. Wissahickon has always been one of my favorites but this made it a whole lot different. At least I out sprinted a guy for a spot on the finish.

Next week. DCCX. Yay!
(It as nice to meet another HUPster from NH. Matt I believe was his name. Dan says he finished around 26th. Pretty good.)

When will the madness end????

1st this; http://madalchemy.com/products/ubersecret.html
And now THIS;http://madalchemy.com/products/chocolatewish.html
I don't know what to do. Guess I'll have to get both. Humm. Chocolate or coffee?? I think he should make a coffee/chocolate combo. I'd buy the entire stock.....

Iron Cross lite.

12:15 start. Whoot! I may want to start racing the Masters's Elites just for the start time. Probably not, tho.
After a night of rain and a dreary morning I had breakfast with my wife and 2 girls; nice change from the earlier starts, plus IC is less than 45 minutes away.
Got to see the end of the Cat 4 race and rooted fellow Hupster on, Gary Sterner. Also cheered Kevin Dillard on who squeeked out a photo finish. Took the long walk back to the car and got ready after depositing the pit bike in the pit. Got ready, warmed up, had a good chat with Bob Perna who parked across from me and Thor, who parked next to me.
We lined up in what was a combined Masters race although they would score us 35+, 45+, and 55+.
As the bell went off Thor, who was right in front of me, unclipped, stopping both of us. We went hard to catch up to the pack; I even passed him a bit until we made it into the turns. He passed me there, and tho I never lost sight of him, I never was able to catch him. I saw Jay Downs ahead of me and he became my "carrot". I knew I could catch him. After about 3ish laps I finally did, on the uphill barrier. I kept seeing Thor, Kevin Breckinmaker, and Perna ahead of me but I just couldn't catch them. I wound up getting lapped with maybe 1/2 lap to go, fighting off Nunzio at the finish line. Had I known it was him, I probably would've let it go since I wasn't really racing him (or Perna, for that matter). All in all, I felt pretty good. I wasn't too sure how I'd do, since I had been fighting a cold all week and really didn't sleep well the night before. 18th out of 26 starters over all; 5th out of 9 45+ racers. Closest to the podium I've ever been.
As for the course; I don't know why it is but this race doesn't get a lot of racers; it should. It's a great course with a little of everything; sand, grass, stones, fast packed dirt, hills, descents, and even a bit of single track. For any of you Mid Atlantic racers that read this. I HIGHLY recommend it, esp if you can't do the Mother of all Cross Races the next day, Iron Cross.

I am Famous!

Well. Maybe not. But my mediocrity is caught on vid. You'll see why I lose places (climbing section). Courtousey, again, of "In the CX hairs".

Well. Better. But not "there" yet.

Beautiful, sunny day for a cross race in Hagerstown, MD. Arrived 1.5 hrs early, which is nice. I need to keep doing this. Got reg'd and changed and then hopped on the course before the Cat4 race went off. Some major changes to the course this yr, mostly for the better, atmo. Still bumpy as shit , but more turns and they threw in a set of barriers before the sand pit which effectively MADE you run it.
After the call-ups aI got a fairly good start spot right behind Thor. The gun went off and we flew down the start stretch. I picked up some spots and headed into the turns in decent shape. Still stayedf with the pack but dropped back a bit on the steady climbs; I'm just not a climber and I really am not climbing well this yr. Down the narrow decent I was able to raelly rail it but it was so narrow that I couldn't make any passes, so I just hung back. My XS's really held well and I was able to take lines that a lot of guys couldn't. I'm convinced that they are the way to go unless it is muddy. I climbed the steep hill well (powered up it) and then went balls to the walls on the straight back stretch (the start stretch). I saw "1" lap to go and went as hard as I could, only to find that here was ANOTHER lap to go. Ugghh. Held on and outsprinted a guy who tried to pass me on the finish line. 39th out of 59. Not great, but better. Still would like to climb up into the top 50%. And beat Thor :-)
FWIW-the CX hairs guy may have me on his vid, briefly, at the start of the race.