CX - crusher

i did my first cyclocross race of the season on sunday - and wow, what a wake up call. it was really hot for cross - 80+ degrees - in Wisconsin in october. i raced men's B - the same category i raced last year and it was crazy fast this year. the race started off ok for me - the first two laps i was in the 2nd group about 50 yards behind the 5 leaders, but on the run-up near the end of lap 2 i fell (oops! ha!) and by the time i got up was gapped by the group. there was just no way to catch up and by the time i got to the start of lap three i was blown.
wow - i already look stuffed here and it's only lap number 2! wait until later in the race. So my average heart rate for the first two laps was 179. i didn't know it went that high! actually after lap two i felt ok and just got into a rhythm – and tried not to loose too much ground. here is a shot of me looking good before i went into survival mode and lost more time to the group ahead of me!

the race finished and i was roasted. i finished about 20th (i think) and was no where near anyone else - a slow leak the caused my rear tire to go flat on the last lap took care of that.

So here i am - still 194 and still getting my ass kicked. two weeks of training until the next race!