DNF

A cyclocross race
Will make your body scream "STOP!"
But your brain says "GO!"

On Saturday afternoon I pedaled over to Gainesville, a nice two and one-half hour singlespeed ride in the rain and sun, cold and hot. Jim Smart and Kristen Bowers picked me up at the northwest Starbucks near 43erd Street. With caffeine in hand, I hopped into the back of their "big white marshmallow" with their friend Jeremy, and we were on our way to Largo for the State Cyclocross Championship races. We looked like real racers with two bikes on top and two bikes on the back of their Volvo wagon. The "marshmallow" moniker was the running joke for the trip. With six air bags, we were told that a car crash would be like bouncing around inside a giant marshmallow. I told Jim he should charge admission.

We stayed the night at Erik DeKold and Kathy's house in Tampa. (Thank you Erik and Kathy!) We woke up early on Sunday and headed for the races. The course was really difficult with a lot of mud, tight turns, and quick ups and downs making for a slow ride. A 29er or MTB with a 36 x 18 gear would have been an ideal bicycle to race.

Jim and I did the Master's 35+. Below is a picture of Jimbo in the mud (photo by Erik).


I did well for the first lap or so. I made a move and was in second for a little bit. I got a cramp in my diaphragm (kick-in-the-side) and quickly moved to the back of the race. After two more laps, my 48 x 22 became really hard to turn over. I knew before the start I was over-geared, but there was no choice. With one to go, I quit. Did Not Finish. DNF is better than DFL. Jimbo, on the other hand, held on for the Silver. He was by far the strongest rider in the race, and on any other day, he would have been the state champion. Truly, I have never seen Jim ride so slow and passive. We are still trying to figure out why he had such a hard time.

Kristen, unlike her spouse, was blazing. She easily won the Women's Expert race. Her fastest lap was only a few seconds slower than Jim's fastest lap! She also took third in the points standings for the entire series, having only done two races. Here is a shot of her flying remount taken by Christian. By the way, us guys don't do it like this!

Erik and Jeremy did the Men's B race. It was the most competitive race of the day. Erik fought for second for most of the race, but ended up in third. He slowed down the last few laps allowing the 4th through 7th place riders to get pretty close to him at the end. Jeremy was 7th, less than a minute behind Mr. DeKold. Below is a great shot of Erik flying over the barrier. That's me on the left with Erik's camera. Both of the other photos in this post are by Carrie Pratt. Thanks Carrie. I steal photos because I do not have a camera.



Gold, Silver, and Bronze for our crew, those are pretty good results. They may even let me tag along again next year, if I keep my promise to do a little more training. A little more than nothing at all is a good place to start.

Do I want to race?
I could quit, just ride for fun
And smell Spring's flowers

The ride's discomfort
Is a metamorphosis
It makes me feel right

No, I want to ride
Hours on the bike - cold, dark
Before the snows melt