Specialized Bicycles......at something, but it sure as hell is'nt cyclocross racing.
Chris B, Bob J, Justin, and myself made our way up to KC Sunday for the last day of CX nationals.Picture this.... 8am, the start of the single speed class, 55 and windy, the course is soft, all 4 of us are lined up, Bob J has only one of his four numbers pined on and mud smeared on his face, Chris is busy talking to everyone, and Justin and I are trying to look as PRO as possible.
75 yards into the race Chris decides to do a belly flop in front of half of the group (including me) taking nine or ten riders down in one big pile. This is the 2nd time this year I've had to run back and find my bike under a pile of pissed off riders during a race. By the time I found my bike and got going again, almost the entire group (88 riders) had passed me. Not a good start. I settled down and tried to move up, but these guys were fast, the course was soft, and it was all up hill. I never felt like I could recover. Even the down hills were tough, all rutted out and slick. It was a true cross course.
Bob, and I were able to get 3 laps in before being pulled (I was more than ready to quit). We road over to the car and found Justin already drinking cold beer, he crashed out on the 1st lap. Chris however was having a better race than us, and finished 33rd. Hey, we may not be the fastest cross racers, but we know how to have a good time.
After the race we changed clothes, filled our backpacks with cold beer,grabbed out trusty black horns, and made our way to the course to cheer on the next group of racers. We hooked up with Ferman from Rolla and the boys from Team Seagal along the way, and by noon, we were all having a VERY good time (drunk). Thank God Jessica drove me home.
The last race of the day was the pro's and they made it look PRO! By the time they started the crowed was wild. Horns were blowing, cowbells everywhere, Brad Huff running around shirtless in cutoffs. I can't say I remember much about the pro race other than it was.......PRO. I think I even remember seeing our buddy Jeff Yealding out there giving 'em hell (or did I dream that?).
One of the last things I remember is me stumbling out of a porta-potty, Jessica standing there giving me that look like "I hope you had fun dumb-ass", climbing in the back of the car, and sleeping all the way home. Good thing nationals only comes once a year.
Justin trying to look PRO.
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