See X Race

Started the day serving french toast to friends and club buddies.  Wrestling my single speed up the hill option portion of the french toast ride, I wondered at how easy it felt and question why I carry a derailleur at all.

Peeled off of my own ride to head over to Edgefield to watch the Cyclocross Race.  There were my co-workers.  There were my teammates.  There were my friends.

Test rode a $7000 full suspension carbon fiber 29er mountain bike.  That's quite a mouthful and it's quite a bike and more fun than easily described.  Instead of sticking to the road or the path or even the grass, we just jotted off here and there and anywhere that caught our fancy.

They opened the course and I rode a large part of it.  It was hard, but the bike took the brunt of it. One girl asked me where my basket was and applauded me for stepping outside of my paved little box.

Watching the races is pure exhilaration. Each rider's face speaks volumes.  They're scared or tired or having a blast or winning or even all of those things at once.  I can see why heckling is popular - yelling "good job" and "go get 'em" over and over again gets boring.

The sun sets and this day was no exception.  I accepted a ride home, rationalizing that I could use the "rest day" to prepare for Larch the next day.  I was correct.