174: never saw that one coming.

Charm City Cross. My team's race. Raking the park all afternoon Saturday, at the park in the dark setting stakes Sunday morning. Old hat for me. Being part of the community. I have my hand in three cross races this year. I love this stuff. Plus it's important to me to give back to something I love so much.

Saturday night, I got a note from Jim, it basically said, "be better than you were yesterday."

That was my goal for today. I felt strangely calmed, inspired and very zen in a weird way.

A funny thing happened at the race today. Something that hadn't happened to me ever before. I fucking won my race today. I can say it, I can type it, hell I got to walk to the top of the podium, but I'm still not too sure how that happened. Just know, I'm smiling ear to ear right now.

This is how it went down. (at least in my mind)

The race takes off. (I)Paul gets the hole shot, Tom (papa smurf) with Sven Nystrum in tow, lead me around the prologue loop. Tom stacks it, breaking his handle bars. Sven and I get a little gap. I encourage him to push it. We are joined by our teammates Bernie, Disco Jeff, Kelly Cline, Roger Masse, Rich from Fort and a dude from human zoom. I pull through around the backside and promptly lay it down as I am going way to aggressive in the corner. Disco Jeff says to me, "stay cool, pick it up, you're fine, lets keep going..." He comes around me.

We run over the top of the run up together. I'm a little panicked from laying it down, but things are going well. Then Jeff lays it down. Kelly speaks up, "I'm guessing the C3 guys have too much air in their tires." We all laugh.

There's a prime at the end of the first lap, the human zoom guy attacks, I counter and take the lead through the barriers. I'm not willing to sacrifice my race for a prime. Still I have a ten yard gap, I stand on it and get the prime, then I notice I have about 30 yards.

Instinctively, I punch it. I figure I'll get brought back, but I'm on a break may as well give it my all.

A lap later I'm still out by myself. Out in the open around the ball fields, I take a look back, kinda wondering when I was gonna get caught. I see Roger Masse at the front, and a train of black sitting on his wheel- blocking. It was my team Disco Jeff, Bernie and Sven Nystrom. My team rules!!

I say to myself, "self, your teammates are killing themselves, sacrificing their own races, the least you can do is your best" I stood on the pedals.

The race kinda went on like this for a couple of laps. I stood coming out of every corner, I was aggressive, I just keep pushing kept thinking, with my teammates working so hard, I didn't, I wouldn't let them down.

Really at this point, I hadn't really entertained any thoughts of winning, I kinda figured, I still get brought back at some point.

And then I saw the 2 to go sign on the lap cards. "shit, I said to myself, that's weird, I've never won a race less than 12 hours, without a teammate. hmmm I might just pull this off..." I start to be a little more conservative. I have about 30 seconds, my teammates are working their asses off for me, don't get sloppy in a corner now."

I roll by the pit, Diane yells, "dude, you look smooth, keep it rolling." I finish the lap. One to go. Are you kidding me. one to go. what is my fatal flaw? will my chain break? I never win. I'm not that guy. Ethan is yelling at me, "keep it steady he says, keep it steady..."

Through the sand I'm sloppy, run too much. "don't get cocky" I say to myself. Through the fields I look back, it's pretty wide open. I hear rotten rob and fitzy cheering for me. I start to smile. Over the run up I pass Pat from evo. He tells me to stop over for a beer afterwards. I really like Pat.

Through the pits, and the enormity of what is going on starts to hit me. I'm gonna fucking win this race.

Finally, I turn on to the road the final stretch. My teammates have blocked everyone, I'm standing and riding, and I see the finish, no one between that final line and me. The waterworks start flowing. I can't believe this is happening. I zip up my skin suit, and pump my fist in the air as I cross the line crying like a baby. "holy shit, holy shit, I just won!" I thrust my arms up in victory. I really can't believe it. I can't believe I just rode that race.

I get off my bike and greet my teammates as they finish high fiving them, first Bernie, then Chris, and then Jeff. 1st-4th C3-sollay.com. What a great day for the home team!

I turn and E-town is there, he gives me a huge hug, I'm really crying now. He starts to cry, so I try and pull it together. I tell him to get ready for his race (which coincidentally he wins).

Monkey comes running over from the pit, I hug her, I'm crying pretty much out of control now.

Diane tells me how proud she is of me, and what a great ride I had. I just can't believe it. I won.

wow. that was weird, and totally unexpected, and I can't thank my teammates enough for working so hard for me, for being so selfless. really I can't put it into words. So I'll just say thank you so much to Bernie, Chris and Jeff.

I'm still kinda jacked up over this entire deal, I just can't believe it, so I just say, wow, that was so unexpected, and made for a pretty great weekend. Fuck yeah, I won a cross race.

thanks to my coach, thanks to slick rik for his teachings, thanks to the Gerlacks for housing us, and feeding us, and Morgan for letting us have his room, and Auer for bringing me on board, and to the DccofD for kicking my ass week in and week out at the practice that shall not be talked about. And while I'm here, thanks to my parents for making me passionate, and pretty much borderline obsessive. Thanks to my monkey, without you, none of this is nearly as fun, or nearly as good.

And as a bonus I got work the little Belgium race! That was pretty damn sweet too. Nystrum laid out an evil loop, and was great keeping this rolling. It was was awesome for the kids, parents, everyone. Megs (the potty mouthed princess) kept score it, it was perfect.

Today was pretty much the best day of my bike racing life.

so fucking sweet.

Thanks for reading.

thanks everyone.

respect.

faticus