chapter 10: please to meet you...

Lilly Pond- Ed Sanders Memorial

This race holds a special place in my heart. For me it was this race 2 years ago that I fell in love with cross again. Let me explain, from 1997-2000, I started my love affair with cross racing first at the Snow Valley Psyco-Cross series, and then later bridging out to other races, including the earliest MAC cup races. 1999 and 2000 were great years for me and my team, as we brought home a couple of mac cups, I took a couple medals in the states, and even won the districts, although that is a chip that is still on my shoulder. The intensity of 1999 and 2000 were very tough on me, our cross town rival FSVS battled with us for that last cup, and really I got to the point that I didn’t enjoy the competition. At the same time the Deputy/Morrison Super Series was kicking off, I just turned expert and my focus slipped back to mountain bike. I walked away from cross, although Tom (papa smurf) made sure that I still had a hand in helping promote the Granogue race. The next couple of years I would do one or two cross races, always on my single speed mtb, just to be annoying.

Fast Forward to 2004. I am coming off of my first year riding for Spot Brand and have had a really nice mtb year, but I’m still feeling good. I figure I’ll do a couple of cross races for fun. Lilly Pond was the first one. I raced the B’s on a converted Schwinn. I lovingly called it the “not a spot”. That day I got the whole shot on a single speed, and led most of the first lap, until this tanned gentlemen came flying by me: Wes. Nipping on my heels that entire day was this dude with the best hulk Hogan mustache ever saw : Mayhew. I finished the race, I suffered my ass off. I finished on the podium. One of my rare cross podiums ever. But the vibe of that race was great, I had forgotten the fun social nature, the people cheering along side your race, the fun of digging deep into places that you didn’t know you had to finish up the race. I admit I was hooked again. That one day, I was back in. As Luxy says, “I was a ‘crosser” . At the finish line Wes, and Mayhew and I talked for a while, I couldn’t believe how nice and cool they were, and well how great everyone was. I raced 6 more cross races that year, all single speed, that’s what I had. 2 years later, I’ve raced at nationals, I have 2 sweet bikes, am a card carry member of the Delaware Cyclocross Coalition of Delaware, and I’m on a pretty damn snazzy team.

When I take the time to reflect back, it was that fall day 2 years ago at Lilly Pond that brought me back into the fold. Looking at this weekend’s race, I know I’m probably not going to be a factor, I’m the oldest, fattest, hairiest in our group. And I don’t really work that hard. That’s okay, I’ll go down with a smile on my face, and always know what a special race this is for me. It’s the place that I fell in love with cross again.

Respect
fm