Beacon... I shake my fist.

I have a laundry list of reasons why I did so poorly yesterday at Beacon Cross. Only one of them is semi-legitimate: My bar clamp on my stem was not tight and my bars were constantly slipping farther and farther down as I raced. I didn’t really notice until after the race but now I know why my back was (and still is) aching. My lower back was just killing me the whole race. I had to sit up lean back to stretch out my lower back but it just didn’t help, I was really uncomfortable thru the entire race.

That’s not the only reason why I did so poorly. I also haven’t been riding. Sure I ride 10miles everyday but that’s pretty low intensity work commute mileage. That’s not training. I need to hit the trainer hard and put in 30 or so miles a night.

I took a few sections of the course pretty sloppily though. Coming out of the sandy trails I lost my grip leaning too hard in the turns and my rear washed out a few times. I can’t blame it all on my tires but I did just put on a new set of tires I’d never ridden before, 20 minutes before the start of the race… not so smart. They were didn’t work well in the sand at all.

Here’s some positives about the race: I killed the run up the Ampitheatre of Pain each time. I shouldered well and climbed like an antelope. I also made it through the sand pit almost every time without unclipping and floundering.

I’m just really disappointed in the way this race played out for me this year. This is my favorite race, I have been waiting all year for this race and I totally sucked out. I think I placed in the low 30s. I only passed people in the first lap… after that it was me being passed for the rest of the race.

My fiancé is the best. I haven’t mentioned her in a while on here but she really has been a die-hard supporter of my racing for the past 2 years. Her cheering and encouragement forces me to use every bit of energy to clean that steep hill or pick up my pace on the run ups. I want to thank her for everything she does for me when I’m on and off the bike.

The fiance took some great photos of the killer B’s in action. If anyone wants original files to print, just let me know.

Well, It’s going to get better. As Kurt Vonnegut said: “the past is prologue”.

- Mike