This weekend marks the start of official start of cross in the Mid Atlantic.
I can't believe it's starting already. what took so long?
I am anxious. I might puke. Today. My mind is racing a million miles an hour. I need to spit all this out.
I am stoked to pick up my new kit, to have the walking talking Johnny Cash Blues, to help promote our team race, to meet our team sponsors, to maybe be a little less of a walking freakshow, and more focused on being a good cross racer and teammate.
C3-Sollay.com! is as strong and focused, balanced, and hungry as any team I have ever been on. Much like the Spot/Twin Six team, there is very good chemistry here. I feel at home. There is a grounding in grassroots, a desire to support the greater community, but also a competitiveness, a chip on the shoulder, something to prove. Bad men and women wear black.
I've been working for this for all year. Cross season, something I couldn't be suited worse for, but something I love more than any type of racing. Time to belly up to the bar boys. Talk or Walk? I feel like a walk.
I've done my best to steer clear of the "confirmed riders" list for the race. Last night I couldn't avoid it. That's deep. Lots of riders, that's good for the team, maybe not so for me.
Serious ballers in my class. I count at least 12 guys who have beaten me regularly. There are 11 DCCoDers who slap me around practice every week in the class alone. Then there are the other 70 riders. Who in there has been having the secret squirrel training run of a life time? . Who in there is ready to shock the world? Who in there will smack us all around?
I feel my HR skip up a beat or two. I calm myself thinking, "dude, you can only control what you do, don't worry about anyone else." But then again I'm not really racing against anyone else am I? At the end of the day, this is to see how far I can push myself. How bad I want this, how much drive, how hard am I really trying? How much I love this. This is fun.
I am ready, I have been riding well. This is going to be a great season.
Still, doubt creeps into my head. Preseason concerns, "my back is a little sore", "is my throat scratchy?" Maybe I'll just take on lawn darts. Maybe I'll just harden the fuck up.
I had a pretty poor spring season by my accounts. But cross is where I have put my eggs. Will the basket hold up ? Have I worked hard enough? Having not raced since July, how much can I suffer? Has this all finally passed me by?
I stop, and I smile. I look at my black DCCoD bracelet. "NOT DEAD YET" it reads. Your damn right I'm not dead yet, I haven't begun to fight. I love this stuff, I love this challenge. It will be great to see so many friends this weekend that I haven't seen for a while. The event will be fun. I will ride well. The Delaware Cyclocross Coalition of Delaware will RAGE. I have worked hard following the teachings of Mayhew, and the lessons of the white hand of saron.
Coaching plan for today said: ride for an hour, wash your bikes, make sure you have new handlebar tape, make sure your sideburns are up to snuff. Be ready to rock. Oh YEAH!
I love cross. Charm City here I come, ready or not. I'm going for a quick spin.
see you all Sunday.
respect.
faticus
12 comments:
Indeed.
nervousness.
But you are right.
its the internal journey that counts.
But, just in case, I just put my "HTFU" bracelet back on.
it's like we share the same brain.
or nervous bladder, whichever.
on the confirmed riders list of suckerbrook last week, i hadn't beaten a one of those bitches before.
and so it goes.
sue mclean did drop the wisdom of never looking at confirmed riders lists the night before the race. what's done is done.
and none of the ringer-type women EVER pre-reg anyway--they like to eff with us that way. . .
xo
m
how nutty am I?...
I looked at the confirmed rider list and I'm not even racing (yet)!!
and I still got freaked out a little.
WTF?!
It'll be me vs. Bear Creek.
I'd rather be at Charm City.
Kind of.
:)
Have fun out there...enjoy your opener!
Amen brother. Nervousness? how about why didn't i sign up for Masters? I'm old why not.
See ya on Sunday.
If you weren't worried I'd be worried. At least this early in the season. Let's wait till Nov before you don't inflate your tires from the last race and warm up in the car before the race.
Who knows with pre-reg. Yeah, it's nice to know, but what does it tell you?v If you saw my name, what would it mean? Nothing, it's a totally different year. Half the dudes won't be there come Oct and by then you'll know who to watch for.
Super killer post and you voiced what all of us feel.
I looked at the confirmed riders. I'm excited. Good luck to you this year.
Crouse
I cleaned up the 'burns just for this weekend.
Good luck tomorrow!
I'll be thinking about ya'll.
Kill the guy you were last year Marc. You aren't him any longer. You've trained harder and know about a year's worth of racing more than he did. Ride *that* guy you once were off your wheel, like he deserves. History is only destiny if you decide to make it so.
Good luck tomorrow.
a few words
Has it passed you? - Not likely, you have health, fitness, happinessand most importantly the desire.
Nemesis's - confirmed rider list - competetion - call it what you may, yuor biggest competition is yourself, race your race cause what else is there?
Sideburns - yeah, they could definately be intimidating, but I feel a well kept Rat-tail or euro mullett are almost as powerful, add white shoes to either of those and it's a recipe for success
Lawn darts - I have a set the blood on them is old and black now, time to freshen them up...maybe I'll bring them to a few races and claim a few souls in the process
Control - tough nut to crack, self control is the hardest, trying to control a bike race is losing proposition, stay at the front then attack if you have the L's lungs and legs then stay away.... not riocket science but probablly harder to accomplish for just about anyone..
Sore - soreness is part mental, mostly a reality in physical manifestation. if it hurts let it heal...mental and/or physical..
I wake up everyday and dread those first steps to take a piss, I'm always sore but it's those first steps that get me through each day.. just as the first pedal stroke is to cycling...it's a will to do it.
how does one keep white tape clean, I was never able to do it?
I had the jitters till I saw that you felt the same way. This was my first cross race, and I felt that I did pretty well. You on the other hand were killing it. Good job today and nice meeting you.
pat
OPERATION SANDBAGGER: Mission accomplished.
Lylas, bro.
great race
you guys threw an awesome event
all the way down to the water bottles stuffed with candy as prizes for the lil belgians!
great race for us
great race for you
you guys rocked the course showing not just home court advantage with call up
but legs and lungs to fend off the chase
awesome day on the bike
awesome day with friends
I look forward to your post!
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