crush on cross

It’s been a bit since I’ve been on the bike, at least at an event and even though I suffered a lot, it was great to be back.I’ve been looking forward to racing cross, since mid summer. I finally had a designated cx bike so things were pretty much in place. I knew I’d miss at least the first two races due to a surgical procedure at the end of September, but I figured I’d only be out for about a week at the most. That wasn’t exactly the case and it’s taken quite a bit longer to feel comfortable enough to race the bike again. Riding hasn’t been too much of an issue, but racing and riding are two, totally different worlds.Such is life. We take what we get and keep rolling forward… and what better way to roll forward than with some good old cross racing. There’s no better race scene around. If you’re a fan of cycling, you could spend nearly the entire day at the races, just watching. The courses are short and action packed and everyone has a great attitude.As much as I wanted to fret over the amount of sleep the week before, what I ate for breakfast or how I would warm up; I pushed all that out the door and settled in to just have fun and enjoy being back on the bike.Cross racing isn’t something you can really take lightly, though. It’s freaking hard. You’re pretty much pinned for an hour. There’s really not much time for recovery and you’ve got to have you're A game when it come to the bike handling skills. Then, throw in some barriers and you’ve got your self a great time.The crowds are awesome. The announcers are top notch and the hand-ups are like grab bags. You never really know what you’re going to get but you can count on it being exactly the wrong thing at the right time.Last weekend race was good for me because I could hide behind some thick rim glasses and super tight pants. Next weekend I’m hoping to be back again. Same big smile, different tight clothes.My hats off the UTCX folks and everyone else that comes out the make the Utah cross races, some of the best around.