Surf City CX #1 by Scott Schlachter (10/16)

Good stuff - the Bellas pulled off a very efficiently run and fun
race! There was an actual DJ spinning vinyl, if you can believe that.
Results posted quick. They were smart, and had a coffee vendor too.
Good coffee. (When Bonnie goes shopping, she buys sh*t. I buy the
gourmet expensive stuff 'cause when I drink it, I wanna taste it.)

I took the time to do three warm up laps before lining up. Definitely
helped me in the race (both warming up and learning the course). I
remember telling Bob shortly before we went off that I thought that the
course was a lot easier then what I was expecting. Very little
elevation to deal with. I was thinking 30 minutes on that was going to
be cake - but it wasn't! It worked me, bigtime. By about half way
through my 3rd lap, I was fatigued. This past 2-months I've had a hard
time getting my heart-rate up to 165 during rides (even when pushing
myself), but my average for the race was 170, and at one point I know I
was over 175. I've been caughing crap outa my lungs all day today
too... The end of the fourth lap was great - I sprinted to try to
catch a guy just in front of me - couldn't close the gap, but it turned
out he was in a different class anyway. I managed 5th out of about 27
in Mens C (all ages). I'm pretty stoked with that - feel a little like
a sandbagger, but it was only my 2nd cross race, and 2nd time riding a
cross bike, and these CX folks are pretty fit mofos, blablabla. My
time wouldn't have even put me in the top half of Mens B 35-44 though.
It seems to me like B's are Expert level, and C's are like a Beg/Sport
combo.

Matt, thanks again for loaning me your bike, and also the heckling at
the barriers - that made me laugh each lap, and helped my dad and uncle
to recognize me. And, also for the offers for water - I was thinking
about that earlier, and realized that I forgot to thank you for that as
well. I'm sorry that I couldn't stick around and return the favor, but
I'm glad to hear that Jeff did.

Good to see Julie (in one piece) and Paul, and a few other Meeces, and
Dawn and Sabine (the only Bellas I recognized).

I'm sold on the value of using a real cross bike for cross - that bike
hauled @ss! Argh - now I want a free-ride hardtail, and a cross bike...
Too many bike cravings, too small of a garage...
-S