Chicago Cross Cup - Jackson Park

Last weekend was another double race weekend. That makes my third double in five weeks. I think that I'm overcompensating for missing all of last season. The first race was at Cam-Rock which will always be a favorite of mine as that is the site of my first cross race ever.
Anyway, what can I say about Cam-Rock? I started out really well and didn't fall instantly into last place. It actually took a couple of laps for that to happen. And even then I wasn't way off the bike out of touch with the other racers. I fell like I might be starting to slowly get a little faster. I have to say that there were a lot of exposed tree roots this year due to the dry summer we had. I like all the corners in the race although I was a little far over into the bushes a few times.

Sunday I headed to Chicago to check out their series. I had to get up at 4:45am which totally sucked. I must really like cross as I'm not a morning person and I would normally rather stay up until 4:45am than get up at that time. It also makes me feel old to get up when the house parties in the neighborhood are just starting to wind down. Anyway we made Kurt Refsnider get up at that horrible hour as well as we were carpooling (sorry Kurt).
The course in Chicago was flat - one barrier at the bottom of a hill for a short run-up and two sets of barriers on the flats. There was one really short off-camber into a five pedal stroke uphill. That part was funny because on one lap in the middle of the race I was delusional and went above the flags instead of between them and there were a bunch of beer cans which I kept thinking someone had moved onto the course until I came through on the next lap and realized that I had just gone off course slightly.

So at Chicago I had my best start of the season . . . a huge part of the first lap I was in the lead. I was fast off the line and lead down the straight away, through the first sharp corner, through these tight trees, down the hill and over the single barrier at the base of the run-up. On the run a couple of women pulled up even with me but at the top I was back on the bike and hammering and back into the lead. Then I led down a little hill, up a slight incline into the wind and through some corners. Right at the first set of 3 barriers a couple of women came around me and my glory was over. It was weird because the whole time I was in the lead I kept wondering why no one was coming around me. It was crazy but fun. Unfortunately about half way through the race my legs decided that 8 races in 5 weeks were too many and they decided that race pace no longer interested them. At that point I was just riding fast enough to make sure I didn't get lapped and that the couple of women behind me didn't pass me. Luckily I had enough to ensure those things happened so happy day!

The highlight of the day was the restaurant that Matt Kelly's girlfriend Beth had picked out for our lunch. The place was called Soul Vegetarian East and it had southern food vegetarian style. It was super good. The funny part was that everyone there was dressed in their Sunday best and we were looking like your usual scruffy bikers. A good vegetarian meal always makes a day better so it made up for getting up at an ungodly hour.