Halloween in Bend

What a super fun weekend of racing! Too much to write about, but when Bend does a Crusade race they do it up right. Lots of events around town and tons of folks out enjoying the whole scene.

I came out on Sat feeling pretty rested and ready to race. It's great to wake up and make breakfast without having to rush out of the house and sit in a car for 3 hours before racing. It was a much better pre-race ritual.

I didn't have the best postion to start and knew from the gun that the first lap would be a mess...there was dust and some corners that were technical enough in traffic that people would be running. It was a slow first lap with a lot of chaos, but I think that is the very thing that helped my race. I didn't blow up that first lap, I didn't expand all my reserves, I just stayed calm and avoided crashing or spazzing out. Once we got most of the way through the first lap I was able to settle into a pace that I could maintain and worked my way up. I felt really good about where I was even if I didn't feel like I had a lot of snap in the legs. I felt a little tired and heavy, but I still managed to move up and win a few little battles within the race. Though we're halfway through the crusades I still have some serious work to do. I was happy with the result because I knew that I can do even better and that I rode a smart race. I put my legs up and got some rest for day two on Sunday.

I had a better position to start the day on Sun, but my tin man costume was a little tight on the legs and the foam front was gonna be warm, not to mention the silver face paint. That's what this race is about though...It's an amazingly fun day because most people show up in costume and still give it their all. I gave it my all, it worked out well. I had my best A finish in crusade race coming in at 16th, and I still didn't feel like I had my best race ever, so I am psyched to see where my fitness will take me in the coming months. There's a ton of racing left.

It was a great weekend that reminded me how amazing my teammates and friends are, we all pulled together to make it a blast. The town was out, friends were out, it was what cross should be, a community of awesomeness. I am more motivated than ever to race again, Sun can't come fast enough. See you then!