The Best and Worst of it.

Cross is chaotic. Sometimes you rock times you dont. Last saturday I did both in the same day.

First I just want to say that the Morgantown Monster Cross was by far the best cross course of the year. JR is doing a great job with this series and this course. The course had everything including the run up from hell.

SS Race

  After a very nice front row call up for my second in points. I was happy to be starting next to pflug and montana.  The start was pretty chaotic and a found myself sitting pretty far back in the SS/Cat 4 field.

Marc Glass had a really great start and was holding the Gerry's wheel for the first lap of the race. On the second lap the true front runners were moving towards the front. Montana and Gerry were pulling away together which was to be expected. I moved past alot of strong riders and was finding myself in no man's land. Morgan Miller was moving up fast to join me though.

For the second week in a row me and morgan would battle. My Cross Bike vs his MTB and I thought on this course that I had much better advantage over him. The course was smoother, and the turns were grippiery than  last week at Lost Creek. A fall in the sand pit from me left me in 4th chasing down Morgan. Instead of passing him like I would have weeks past I sat in and let him push wind.  For 1 lap he lead, and I got good rest. It was then time to fly or so I thought. I could here him breathing hard, about as hard as I was breathing. I got a lead and was faster on the run up from hell. I guess all that running was paying off....or it was just the lighter weight cross bike being easier to carry.

 This run up was tough. On a SS bike I think it was un clearable, some of the stronger 3/4 and elite group were able to ride it. Everytime I hit it thought I gave it my all knowing that there was a sweet SL downhill though some trees to recover on.

On the last lap I had pretty good gap on morgan but he was catching up fast. One last time Up that hill and I was givin it all.  Morgan still caught me by the end of the DH and was on my wheel for the sandpit. I carefully rode the sandpit hedging my bets on my sprinting ability. Out on the finishing piece of Pavement. I pounce on the pedals as hard I could and held of a hard charging morgan. 3rd place, according to crossresults.com my best finish of the year.

3/4 Race

The 3/4 race to follow ended up being my worst finish of the year. A really bad start and some glimmers of hope passing riders that I should be passing I caught up to my buddy Jason and being the nice friend I am, I wanted to put both of us into the pain zone.

I was just to exhausted from the first race to safely go fast though and it would soon show in an epic barrier fall. It was scarier and looked worse than it was. I was really stunned about the fall. Jason words to race him remotivated me. It was like remotivating a drunk to go fall down again. I caught up to jason and passed him again, some friend I am, eh?  I then proceeded to fall right in front of him. Yep. This was not going good. I start soft pedaling contemplating what I was going to do. My buddy Tim passed me missing a brake pad. I then decide to be charitable and give him my bike. My bike is tiny compared to his. We then both dropped out and joined the hecklers spraying people with whipped cream on the run up from death.

My first cross DNF. IT kinda of sucks but I literally just wasnt feeling it.

I am feeling the last cross race(s) of the year this weekend in Bruceton Mills and the start of ski season is less than 2 weeks away.

I do stink after cross race sorry Gerry