Another stellar day at Look Park. We arrived in time for Marc and Steve to get in a few laps of the course before the 9:30 race started. Good thing we did as the course had changed quite a bit. Kudos to Steve W., Adam, and J.D. for doing an impressive job on the course changes.

Often when you have two races back-to-back at the same venue, little to no course changes are done for the second day. Well, the Cycle-Smart crew did not disappoint. As predicted the course was much tighter up top and much faster on the bottom. I heard a lot of people saying how much the really enjoyed the course and actually preferred it over the day one course. Essentially the two days offer two different types of courses – that suit different riders. The strongest riders still rode to the top on both days but in each field you saw some different mid-pack results – I think this is due to the course changes. Thanks Cycle-Smart for some smooth courses.

Marc and Steve were off at 10:30. What a race! I had a blast watching Marc. He rode so well. I was so proud of him. He had a decent start. Got in a good group. Was riding super strong. Driving the group, hammering the road, bridging gaps – racing like I know he can. Unfortunately he crashed twice – once in the roots up top and then in the entry to the sand. This cost him a few spots but he recovered really well. Up on his bike super fast, head down and giving it all he could. Awesome ride Marc! Steve’s back was giving him some trouble during the race – but he still rode super strong. Shout out to Kurt Perham – he had a phenomenal ride. Nice ride Kurt!

Had a good time hanging out in the pits chatting with Petar about his race and biking in general. It always helps to have a friendly face in the pits, helps to know that if something does go wrong, help is there. Thanks Mavic for the great pit support this weekend.

Saw lots of people again on Sunday. It is amazing who you bump into and the new people that you meet at a ‘cross race. Old friends from ‘cross camp. New people who have read my articles in Cyclocross Magazine or have found this web site. Very cool.

I’ve got to say I’m loving my new Mavic wheels – those Carbones rock! Super strong and fast. Thanks OGC for helping me out this season with some great race gear.

My race went fairly well today. A better result than yesterday and a good performance. I’ve posted a race report and as soon as photos are available I’m put them up as well.

We left fairly quickly after my race and had a very easy drive home. I drank a medium-sized latte and that kept me going for quite a while. Nothing like a big cup of coffee for a non-coffee drinker. I’m thinking I should drink one of these before my races!

It was a great weekend. Looking forward to racing in Northampton again next year. Thanks for the cheering, the support, the smiling faces and for being out supporting cyclo-cross. And if you live in the Northampton area and have never been to Look Park – go check it out. That is one nice venue for walking, cycling, and even just relaxing with a good book along the water.