Ah, good ol’ Mooney’s Bay. The scene of my second cyclo-cross ever. Way back in 1994 on my Specialized Stumpjumper. I think it was that race that had me hooked (for a while). I remember only finishing the race and feeling great relief. We were a smaller group back then. But I’d say even though the numbers have swelled tremendously the sense of community and kinship that was present in 1994 is even stronger now.

What a great day for a race. Warm enough for the short-sleeved skinsuit. We got there early so Marc and I could get registered (finally registered for the series) and get a quick lap in. Then it was time to watch the early race. Fun stuff. I had a blast cheering on everyone and enjoying just being outside. My thermos of tea helped as well!

Got in a quick lap and a bit and then it was race time. I almost missed the start! Somehow I was clued out and had no idea where the start was. Thanks to all the people who responded when I pedaled by asking “Where is the start?”. Also thanks to Jenny for picking up my jacket -much appreciated.

I had a slowish start and then just focused on catching and passing people. Once my position was sort of established I worked on drilling the hard sections. Determining where to go really hard, where to ease off a bit and where to recover. My tactic was to really hammer the “tough” sections – the ones where your brain wants you to slow down because you’re suffering. I was losing time on the long run up the hill so this really was my best race plan. My hill running was a tad slow. In fact the last two laps I resorted to walking the super steep section and then trying to jog the last part.

The best part about the hill was the cheering. Wow! Thanks so much for the cheering. Never have I heard my name yelled so many times in a race. Thanks a lot. This cheering makes a massive difference.

So I’m not sure where I finished in the overall results. But I’m happy with my ride and effort. It has been a while since I’ve raced for an hour. But really the time went by super quickly. One of my main goals for today was to “not crash”. And I met this goal! Phew.

A massive shout out to Bob, Cheryl, Ian, Brian, Graham, and the countless other volunteers who set up the course, handled registration, marshaled the course, kept score, and tore down the course.

Well, the bikes are finally clean. The last of the clothing is in the washing machine. I’m finally clean – after a nice soak in the tub. Now it is time to meet up with a good pal for some burgers at The Works. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday!

(As soon as the photos are posted – I’ll post a link on the Photos page.)