Thoughts on Carpentersville

I really enjoyed the cyclocross race in Carpentersville this year. The changes to the course made it more challenging and more fun. More fun, of course, in retrospect. During the race all I could think about was why the heck was I doing this to myself? Looking back, I handled the barriers well and have a photo to prove it:



This year, the race layout gave more room to attempt to ride through the sand pit. During my one and only pre ride lap, I forgot that there was a large lip into the pit and nearly did an endo as my front wheel dropped and dug in as I entered. Luckily I was properly sitting back in my saddle and was able to recover. The first time through during the race I was behind someone who dismounted to run it so I had to correct my line at the last minute and lost all momentum and had to execute an emergency dismount. I compounded the problem by missing the remount at the end and lost some time (and dignity). Luckily, no one captured this Kodak moment (UPDATE: apparently this guy did, but I'm not buying a print or providing a link). I rode the sand cleanly all the remaining laps.

I still need to work on my speed through sharp turns as this is costing me time and energy that I clearly do not have to spare--based on my finishing placement (41 of 54).

And then there was Superman:



Ok. This raises several questions:

Shouldn't Superman be able to ride through the sand pit?

Or be able to leap over it?

And what was Superman doing in the 4b race?

Wait. I'm confused. What's Superman doing in a skirt? If that's Supergirl, shouldn't she be in the women's race? Maybe it's Superman who's confused.

Next race for me is St. Charles. Come on out and bring your cowbell.

Friday Quote

This quote came up in conversation recently:

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."

Douglas Adams, from his book (written with Mark Carwardine): Last Chance to See.

I'm Published!

Well, not really, but this was fun to find. A photo of mine was used in a blog posting. As my son would say: "How random is that?"

Hawthorn Woods Cyclocross Race

I raced both the Masters race at 10:00 and the 4a at 2:15. This was taken after the 4a race.



That about sums it up.

Stretch?

Bottom line: Stretching is good for you, but don't stretch before exercising and it won't reduce muscle soreness.

Photogenic Lake

Rode the trail at the end of the day Wednesday. This is what greeted me when I arrived back at the parking lot:

Morning Ride

No, I didn't race in DeKalb this morning. I didn't want to drive an hour and a half to race in the rain with possible thunderstorms. I didn't relish the idea of riding in a park on a metal bike with the threat of lightning. And no, wet rubber tires don't provide any protection against lightning.

So instead, I did the 8:00 Des Plaines River Trail ride. As you can see, it was a beautiful morning here, way out east.



It was a small group today, but it felt good to get in two hours of riding on the trails.

Note to Gurnee, the underpass under 176 is open and not under water, so you should change the sign.