What a day! A beautiful day to be outside ripping around in the grass and leaves on a cyclo-cross bike. Today was the meeting of the Southern and Eastern Ontario cyclo-cross series of races. Two large fields raced all over Lake Ontario Park. There were also lots of fans out there cheering on the racers.

I didn’t race today. Had planned to but an innocent knock of my knee (yes, that knee) on my handlebar and I opened up the cut on my knee. I’m just getting over the infection and decided that it would not be wise to race with a now open and bleeding knee. Bit of a drag. I must admit I felt a bit “wimpy” deciding not to race but I have to consider the road ahead and the decisions I need to make to ensure I’m ready for the next phase of my cyclo-cross season.

I had a blast watching the race and cheering on the riders. It was also nice to chat with people and catch up. Thanks for the kind words about my ride at nationals and about my knee – definitely appreciated.

Marc rode super well today. He fought back hard after a late race crash. Dug even deeper after dropping his chain. He finished first in the Masters A race. Congrats Marc! Inspiring to see you fight back after a couple of setbacks. Shout out to Steve for a supreme ride and a fourth place finish in the elite race. Super hero of the day award goes to Glen for his spectacular crash and even more impressive recovery.

So goals for the rest of the 2008 – 2009 cyclo-cross season:

– to double the number of UCI points I have now before leaving for Belgium on Dec. 9. I currently have seven points. I want a minimum of 14 before I get on the plane. I have a chance to get points at Northampton, Toronto, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
– to finish on the lead lap in every race I enter in Belgium. This includes World Cups, elite women’s races, junior races, and the odd masters’ men’s race. I was not able to do this last year.

So there you have it. Two new goals. Two big goals. Challenging, but I think attainable. These goals are two-fold – to keep me motivated through the rest of the domestic ‘cross season and to give me something to aim for while in Europe. Not to mention that more UCI points will help me gain a better start position in Europe. If I can finish on the lead lap in every race I enter in Europe, then I know I have a realistic chance of making the team for 2010.

That’s right – the team for 2010. (My fire has been re-ignited. Thanks to a great conversation with Marc in the car on the way home from Kingston.)

I don’t want any should haves or could haves in my life.