Ups and Downs

It was a tumultuous weekend of racing.

It started with Wurstcross in New Braunfels on Saturday. It was a highly technical course with lots of tight switchbacks and off camber action with loose dirt or gravel. I manage to stay upright despite a couple of close calls but lost time through all the technical areas. I started 3rd on the 1st lap after the sprint and slipped back to 12th by the end of the race. It was fun and challenging and continues to make me more determined to improve my bike handling.

Lined up at the start. Good size 4 field for Texas cross.

The start, my greatest strength in cross.....

The beginning of a technical portion.......definitely not my strength

A little barrier action

Entering the final twisty section

Exiting the final twisty section before rise to the finish

Sunday's Tour de Gruene was full of drama. My teammate Anthony who dragged an out of shape me around the course last year hadn't been riding much leading up to this two man time trial. To top it off he went out to celebrate Halloween the night before and called me around 3am to notify me that his car had been stolen from outside the club and he would need a ride in the morning. We finally get there and warmed up but still managed to miss our start time by about 45 seconds. We started off strong but and I was more than happy to lead but Anthony finally came apart over the big hill with about 7 miles to go and faded from that point on. We finished significantly slower than last year and failed to make the podium in our age group (we won it last year). Thankfully, after the Tour de Gruene a lot of the team gathers outside Gruene Hall for a big year end BBQ. It was great to swap stories and enjoy the camaraderie of what is the best team in Texas.

The sequence of events was frustrating and to say I was moody Sunday afternoon would be putting it nicely. Thankfully, the weather is beautiful and slow rides to and from work the past to days along with a patient wife have healed my racing soul. There is heartbreak and frustration but racing is about the beauty and fun of it and I can't wait to race again.