Sausage finger...

This past weekend was the Nebraska Cyclocross weekend at Pioneers Park in Lincoln, NE. Right now I can't cogitate a word that can accurately describe the whole thing, but "freaking fun" fall very short of an apt description. It has definitely set the bar extremely high for Jingle Cross this coming weekend, which for me will be my last race weekend until the spring.

Saturday started out pretty good. I arrived at the park in plenty of time to get a few laps in and so I knew what to expect around each corner. From my perspective, this seemed a much more technical course than Swanson. The area known as Hooligan Hill seemed like it would be a nasty pain giver. I didn't want to blow myself up before the race so I took the hill and the barriers at a leisurely stroll. The first race started at noon, so I took up position on Hooligan Hill with the other spectators and added my cheering to the cacophony of cowbells and cheering to the racers climbing the hill. There were even people hanging dollar bills off of trees and posts, even from their crotches for racers to grab on their way past at the top of the hill. Then it was time for my race, the Cat 4 group.

After lining up, I had my goal in sight, another top 10 finish. We were off. I was feeling a tad zen with the course. Taking all the twists and turns with ease. I could tell I was pushing it harder than usual, my heart rate was sky high, as well it should be. Then we arrived to Hooligan Hill. This was a pure femur creamer, especially after pushing it all the way to this point. I didn't let up though, and because I was shutting out all the pain, I must have shut out all the peripheral stimulus because during the whole race all I saw was myself climbing the hill. No pain, no noise, and dang it I didn't think or look for a single dollar bill hanging from anywhere. The Cat 4 racers did only a total of five laps, and as each lap progressed the hill and the barriers seemed to get higher and higher each lap. However, I kept on pushing to the end. Ended up 10th out of 23. I probably could have done better, but I am happy with how I ended. No accidents, no injuries, and no chumming the field. I stayed and cheered on the Cat 1/2/3 riders, who did the circuit for one hour. Insanity I tell you, not to mention one rider who was in the first race in the morning, had a nasty spill and pulled out. However, she then signed up for the Cat 1/2/3 race and kicked some butt. Great job Sydney!!! You are an inspiration to everyone out there, especially to us newbies.

Sunday saw not as warm temperatures, but the sky was clear and sunny. I didn't get as much sleep as I wanted Saturday night. Had a dickens of a time falling asleep. Arrived plenty early to ride the course again. This time it was in the opposite direction of Saturday. I was feeling good, though a tad worn out. Cheered the other races on and it was time for my race. I set myself up for the same goal, a top 10 finish. However, if anything could go wrong, it went wrong this day. Off the start, I couldn't get myself clipped in for about 10 seconds. This cost me some initial positioning and energy. Then we came to the barriers before Hooligan Hill, and I was on the verge of tripping on the barriers. My feet weren't making it clear and I didn't have my bike high enough and kept clipping the rear tire on the barrier. Then at the top I couldn't clip in again, so instead of dinking with it I just rode down the hill to the bottom of Hooligan Hill with my feet just resting on the pedals. This felt a little creepy and like I didn't have much control. To make an even longer story short, every time I had to dismount, I had a hell of a time getting clipped back in.

Then on the second lap there was a section that went from the road, down a little hill with a 180 degree turn and back up to the road. Well, I must have grabbed my rear brake a little hard because I spun the bike 180 degrees and flipped over. The wind was knocked out of me, a couple people passed by, I got my bearings and I was back on track. Doing a self assessment while continuing, I noticed that I couldn't move my index finger without searing pain and my shin was feeling a bit twitchy. I don't think I can end a race discipline without drawing blood this year. Oh well. Anywho, I made up a little bit of my lost time and distance, but not enough to attain my personal goal. I ended up 15th out of 20.

This morning the only thing that is not feeling good is my finger. Looks like a giant sausage today and it's really hard to bend. From all the fun I had this weekend and all the support there was out there from the racing and non-racing community, I have high hopes for Jingle Cross.

Congratulations to all those who raced this weekend, and a big THANKS to everyone who came out to cheer and support the riders. You are what made the race in my eyes. It wasn't about winning or losing, but just about having a grand old time. I am going to set myself with some even higher goals for next year.