State CX.

I was pretty psyched about the race today. I got a lot of sleep the last few nights, and was feeling real good. I had a good warm up, and lined up with a good starting position.

My start was so-so, I had a lot of contact with a rider near me, and I had a couple small mishaps early on the first lap. I tried riding the sand, but went in with too high of a gear and had to put a foot down. Next, my bibs caught on my saddle and I ended up running into the first barrier, losing all momentum. I bridged a couple gaps on the first two laps, and soon settled in with 5 or so guys.

By the last lap, there were 10 or so people in the group I was with. I saw a chance to attack before the sharp left into the woods, so I laid it down. I got a bit of a gap on the top of the run up, and tried to maintain it. A couple guys caught me, and there were three of us into the last set of turns. I was riding behind, hoping to come around at the finish. It ended up being a sprint, and we were all within a half a wheel. I ended up getting one of the two guys, good enough for tenth.

I didn't live up to the "Sandbagger of the week" crown that was given to me (then stripped and given to David Block) by Bikethrow.com. That's alright... maybe the pressure got to me. I will say I put about everything I had into that race, and finished wanting to puke and pass out. Probably wasn't a good idea to down a Surly Cynic Ale 10 minutes after finishing.

It was real cool seeing that Adam won the B race. He was asking me for some tips at the start of the race, since it was only his 3rd CX race, and first as a B. The guy is real fast... and now a 3X state champion for 2008.

Teammate Richi did well in the CX4s today, getting 4th despite dropping his chain on the final lap. He rode strong all year and should kick ass in the 3s next year.

It's hard to believe that the MN 'cross season is over. I improved a lot over the season, as I learned my strengths, weaknesses, and opponents. Can't complain for my first season of bike racing.