Poetry

Something that a lot of people don't know about me is that I write a lot of poems. I'm also a huge fan of spoken word poetry and use it to inspire a lot of my own poetry. Poetry all together has helped me understand a lot of my own thoughts as well as relate to/understand others.

Luckily I have a great group of friends who share my passion for poetry. Every once and a while we get together and have 'Poetry Circle', where we share our own personal poems or some of our favorites by other authors. My favorite part about these is getting to share my most recent poems with people who are genuinely interested in hearing them. This past Sunday we had one and the idea popped into my head to share this practice of sorts with people who don't know too much about this part of my life. Here are some photos from the event!

The musical people play some instruments while we wait for everyone to arrive 

Alberto does a poem which he wrote a guitar part for!

Of course I wear my Swiftwick Socks, why wouldn't I?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Jeff, Amber, and Mackenzie

I just wanted to take a quick minute to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope yours was as blessed as mine has been. I am VERY excited to see what the next 12 months has in store for me and my girls.

Winter? Summer? I'm so confused...

The last month of the year is here but if you have been outside you may wonder if your calendar is on the correct month.  I know there have been a few days that do feel like December but for the most part it has been more like Spring than Winter.  Also the shortest day of daylight has just passed so before you know it the days will get longer.  I know I feel more motivated to get outside!

I’m sure my collection of hand warmers will not go used because January and February can be brutal here in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.  I always like the challenge of trying to figure out what layers to wear with the temperature when starting then again two hours into the ride.   Even March can be hard to get miles in on the bike.  Just ask EJ Hubstenberger III how Virginia went last year?

 

That all being said I cannot wait till team training camp to roll around in the spring. Maybe even Summer when the only cycling clothes you need to worry about are my Dynamic Physical Therapy powered by Pathfinder bibs and jersey.  Well I guess I should not be wishing time away.

See everyone in 2016!

My first Dirty Dozen

Despite being sick all week from the previous weekend's ABRA & PA State Championship races in the frigid temps, I last minute decided to get up on a rainy Saturday morning and try to race the Dirty Dozen for the first time. I hadn't done any training outside of races for the past two months, and had been hitting the race exhaustion wall repeatedly. Still, 2015 had seen me through my first Crush the Commonwealth and Hilly Billy Roubaix, and I had to at least try to finish the last of the Debilitatingly Hard Race trifecta. I put on my rain jacket, wind pants and shoe covers, stashed some fig bars in my pockets and headed out. 

A few blocks from my house I realized my front derailleur had cracked clean in half. I stared at it in bemusement for a few moments, knowing there was no time to fix it and mentally flipping through my index of potential DD second-choice bike candidates (uh, none). A few moments later I realized that if there was a race made for a broken front derailleur, this was it. I nudged my chain into my small ring and left it there. 

The first hill was one of the few I had actually done before, but despite remembering it as "not all that bad," exhaustion nailed me and I definitely felt the 10 pounds of cx-season weight gain (thanks, beer!). "I definitely can't do this," I thought. I don't even remember going up the second hill, but I do remember deciding that once the route swung me back down into Millvale I was gonna jet back home. The third, Berry Hill, I knew was nice and short and I actually managed to score some points. It still murdered me. I was definitely gonna quit. I wanted to bail after the 4th hill in Etna, but I lived right across the river from Logan (#5). I figured, I'll do Logan, and then I'm out. 

Picking my lines up High St

Logan was terrible. It's a narrow, beat up hill that gets steeper at the top and the rain had slicked it with oil streaks. My back tire kept sliding on the pavement, but I didn't have gears low enough to stay in the saddle. Somehow I managed to save it every time my pedals lurched forward unexpectedly, but there was a moment about 3/4 of the way up the hill that I decided to quit and walk away. Just when I was eyeing up a nice looking bail spot between some parked cars, a bystander yelled some garbled encouragement at me that barely filtered through to my melting brain. I made it up, and scored some more points. I was ready to go home…but we were heading towards a food stop. Why not. I stood around with the other riders, shivering and trying to down a pop tart. Rialto was next, and only a 10 minute ride from my house. It was also probably one of the easiest of the DD hills. 'Okay, Rialto, then home." 


       Rialto is the only hill that isn't raced in a mass pack. Because it sits right above a busy chunk of highway, riders make their way to the bottom in heats and then race up from a standing start. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's surging forward from a standing start. Enthusiastically supported by my cheering friends on the sidewalk steps, I led the women's heat up the hill, but just lost gas at the top and fell back a few places. I had still netted some points, and by now had realized I was begrudgingly going to try and finish the race. 

  Leading the pack up Rialto   

       

           The 7th hill was a long grinder that ends in cobblestones. Still exhausted, and knowing long steep hills weren't my forte, I just tried to pace myself and make it up. Learning from the slick race up Logan I had started letting a little bit of air out of my probably over-inflated back tire after each hill. As long as I avoided the wet leaves in the road, I'd be fine on that front. The next hill was Sycamore in the south side, the only hill I'd done more than once. It's long and steep but it's a commuter route up to Mt Washington and not that bad. 

At the overlook

We stopped at the overlook and I started asking others what the next hills were like - from this point on, not only had I never ridden any of them, I'd actually never even *seen* them. This became immediately detrimental, as the next hill was the infamous Canton Ave. I knew it was a 37% grade and possibly the steepest public road in the world. I didn't know that as soon as we made the turn onto Canton and the cobbled wall appeared in front of me my mind would immediately shut me down. "Nope. Nope. Can't do it, not possible." I stopped at the bottom and stared at it for a good ten minutes, watching riders make it, fall over, and one who crashed into a bystander and knocked her rolling down the hillside. I stood there gaping next to my bike until my friend Eric walked over, asking if I'd made it up yet. "Uh…I don't think I can do that.." I said. "Uh..yeah you can. Idiot." he replied, rolling his eyes at me. (Except not really; Eric is super nice). With that encouraging smack in the face I clipped back in fast enough to leave me no time to doubt and rocketed up the 100 yards or so of cobble. What a breeze! (relatively). I only needed to weave enough to get around a wobbly rider in front of me, and when I made it to the top I was ecstatic. I had had no idea I would be able to do that, and so easily. What a great feeling! That big cobblestone wall that had floored me came a-tumblin' down. 

Right around the corner from Canton was Boustead, and then we had a good while before hitting Welch way, another short steep road that dead-ends at the top. Riders race up the narrow street while hill finishers squeal their brakes down beside you. The last two hills were long and steep and wreaked havoc on your whole body. At the top of Barry/Holt/Eleanor I stood shivering so badly, I started looking for a friend who wouldn't mind hugging me for the 15 or so minutes we spent waiting before heading off to the last hill. (No luck). Someone had told me that there's about a 5 mile stretch between hills 12 & 13, and that the pack splinters in the neutral zone while riders try to race to the finish. I knew there wasn't more than a 1 point difference between me and another female rider; a slim margin that would determine which of us made it in the money. So for the last rainy stretch of flat I spun as fast as I could, drafting off the men in front of me and hopscotching my way forward in the spotty line of finishers. This was the only part of the race that I really missed my big ring. 

Flowers/Tesla was another long hill that gets real steep at the end. Totally beat, knowing only that I had to make it up without putting a foot down, I slowly ground my way up. I slid out on something but caught myself, barely in a low enough gear to keep spinning. Halfway up my calf started cramping. I didn't have any room to baby it, and there was no way I was going to foot down and have to re-do this godawful last hill. I pushed through the pain. The road got steeper. I could see the spectators cheering at the top, but my eyes scanned the crowd for one person - Nina, the ladies' points scorer, or - crucially - my human finish line. 

I finally made it, finally finally. I was destroyed but totally stoked. Cold and wet but happy. In years past I'd laughed at the thought of ever being able to do the Dirty Dozen, but not only had I finished, I'd gotten third place. It felt awful and great. It was one of the hardest races I've ever done, but I remembered the line I kept telling myself in between every time I'd decided to quit and go home:

Whatever, it still wasn't as hard as Crush the Commonwealth. 

Giving Thanks

Takes a lot of work setting up a 'cross course.

As the 2015 ABRA season comes to a close, i think back on how my season had gone. I may not have gotten the results i had been looking for. Unlike like past years i had missed a bit of the close local races. Not due to injury or anything, but by volunteering for local race promoter JR Petsko. People may think volunteering at a race is quite thankless, but that's not really true. You get plenty of thanks from a lot of thanks from the riders passing by. It's quite awe inspiring just how much happens behind the scenes that you don't really see as a racer.

 Whether it's staking and taping a cross course, being a corner marshal in a gravel grinder, or a lead car in road race. These are just to name a few of the many jobs that have to be covered to put on a top tier event as JR does. Having done each of these this year, they all provide a different aspect in to what goes into these races. No matter how small the job, it still plays a big factor in how awesome of an event it'll be.

 It takes quite a bit of effort in to providing a safe, well marked, and fun course for all. 

I know we see these from JR for any volunteers throughout road season. But instead of dismissing it, think if you'd be able to help out. If each of us just skipped 1 race (say that one that doesn't suit your racing style) and helped out, other racers would be thankful that they have a safe race.

The end to another year

Fall has been a time of cross and horse shows. I also finished my last full semester of college classes. Next remains two internships before they finally agree to give me a Masters in Occupational Therapy. Below are some of the highlights from the past couple months through pictures:

Nikki & I having a blast with cx at ABRA!

 Shawn, Billy, and I starting cx season in Cleveland at my first cx race!

 I am so happy to have gotten my Cannondale cx bike from an awesome local cycling chick. I have so much to learn, but excited on the new journey. I also purchased Kenda tires from another local cyclist. I am so thankful for the cycling community of West Pennsylginia, because everyone is so supportive and encouraging. 

2nd place at Clarion University

2nd and 3rd place at Grier

WVU football game with my dad

Exploring the outdoors with my little buddy

2nd place at Reedsville

Morning practices with one of my favorite men

At the WVU horse show

Currently, I am only a few points away from qualifying for Regionals in Alumni Horsemanship which will be held on March 6th. Before then I have scheduled to attend shows on February 20th and March 5th at Slippery Rock and WVU. My goal is to place in the top 2 at Regionals to qualify for Semifinals on March 19- 20.

And finally, back in NJ for Thanksgiving with my sister :) 

I hope everyone is able to capture the moments in life that creates happiness. Don't forget to make time in this busy holiday season for your favorite activities and spend as much time with loved ones as possible. Until I see you all next weekend at the final ABRA race, have a wonderful day!

Cara

For What Are You Thankful?

So for what are you thankful for this holiday season? When life gets hectic and it seems like you just want to give up, stop and take a minute to reflect on just how lucky you are, in some form or another, to be able to do the things you can in this world.

Here is my top (5) 'What I am Thankful For' List 2015:

5. Team Mates - Together Everyone Achieves More

4. A Great Workplace/Profession - 11 Years This Year

3. Health And Prosperity -  Need It...Want It

2. Friends And Family - Life's Initial Building Blocks

 


1. Just Living - Take A Look Around, We're Small In Comparison To The Big Picture

I know that there are a lot of things I could have chosen for my list, but when it all boils down to it, the simplest things in life tend to be the most dear and precious to us all.  I hope that ya'll have a great holiday season and truly do appreciate all that you have in your life.  Believe it or not, life is short, so enjoy it!!!!

Thanksgiving

Well here it is almost end of the season and near the end of 2015. More importantly Thanksgiving and the holiday season are upon us! This time of year we should be thankful for our family and friends but as part of Dynamic Physical Therapy Cycling Team powered by Pathfinder I’m thankful to all of our sponsors for their support. We would not be able to do what we do without the support that you give us.

 I hope all of my teammates are thankful for the year that they have had. Here is to a bigger and better year ahead! I am thankful for this past season but I’m dreaming of what next season can bring. Lots of hard work will start very soon for my new goals. Well I guess I better go dust of my trainer and rollers to puts those goals into motion.

Fall

I thought this season would finish up with 3 or 4 Cross races but it didn't quite work out that way. I found myself sick at the end of road season in August and it lingered for a month. 2 rounds of antibiotic and 2 months later I am feeling better and am able to get out and enjoy easy rides. It is nice to get out and enjoy riding bikes without expectation or intervals. The roads in my neck of the woods have little traffic and the fall colors are inspiring.

I find comfort in the roads less traveled. Fall is the perfect time to explore new routes.

If your not on the cross course then get yourself out on the road and soak up the fall colors. You won't regret the time you spend with friends before cold winter days roll in. 

Enjoy the Ride! 

Devin

Time to cool things a little....

After many years being away from the game, I finally laced up the skates and started playing a little hockey again. It started this summer with a pickup game a couple times a week and eventually lead to playing in an adult "Jurassic" league in Indiana PA.  I'd forgotten just how much I love to play this game and look forward to Sunday afternoons for more than just sitting in front of the TV watching NFL football.  

I have been blessed to have amber and Mackenzie travel with me on a few occassions, and I love seeing Mack's eyes light up when we talk about the sport.  On one occassion, I told her I had a surprise for her and her response was "a hockey stick??".  That wasn't what her surprise was, but it warmed my heart to hear her get so excited that maybe it was.  Truth be told, she already has 3 hockey sticks of various descriptions. 

I'll add a few more photos but we are experiencing technical difficulties at work, so this will have to hold you over.

Life is Awesome

Recently in English class we watched a TED Talk on how life can be awesome if you let it be; it talked about the three As of awesome: Attitude, Awareness, and Authenticity. It was done by a man named Neil Pasricha, who has a blog and has published a book called "The Book of Awesome". I'm not going to go very in depth into it because the video is everywhere and it would serve you better to watch it than to read my description of it. The basic idea, though, is that with these three things, you can see awesomeness in everything. This has got me thinking about everything that I think is awesome in the world, from simpler things like cold fall afternoons and snowy nights to more obvious things like cycling and physics. In this blog post I'm simply going to list a few things that I find to be exceptionally awesome, each followed by a brief explanation.
(Here is a link to the TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/neil_pasricha_the_3_a_s_of_awesome?language=en)

Going out of your way while walking to step on the crunchy leaves
I love walking home from school and taking very wide, awkward strides just so I can crunch as many leaves as possible. When I see a leaf ahead and plan to step on it, only to find, when I do, that it is very soft and damp, a pure sense of disappointment runs though my mind. However, that disappointment is countered many times over by the amount of satisfaction that I get when I step on a leaf and hear that wonderful 'ckrunch' sound, like biting down on a kettle-cooked potato chip. This is even better when my feet are cradled in my wonderful Swiftwick socks.


Walking down the road at night after a fresh snow
Snow on its own is incredibly awesome, as is night time, and peaceful walks. The combination of all three is really too good for words, but I'm going to try it here. Walking down the road at night after a fresh snow when my footsteps are the only disturbance on the pristine white surface is definitely on my list of "Top 10 Things that I Live For".


Mountain biking in the fall
I love mountain biking, of course, and something about doing it in the cool fall air with the leaves on the ground makes it that much better. There are all kinds of reasons but I'll try to mention the less obvious ones. The leaves crunch when you ride over them - as you can tell I love the sound of crunching leaves. You don't sweat as much; sweating isn't that bad, but it's definitely more comfortable to be slightly cool than boiling hot. It's also awesome that my Kenda Slant-Six Pros work all the way until the first snow-fall.

Physics
This one is pretty simple to explain: physics is everything. Snow is physics, biking is physics, driving is physics, living is physics. That's all for this one.


Music
Music is awesome. I'm always amazed by how music can relate to so many people on so many different levels. I'm also amazed by the fact that music being so relateable means that somebody else knows pretty much exactly how you feel, happy sad or otherwise. I love music and recently went to a concert for my favorite band, The Front Bottoms. At this concert I had a great time with people who I've never seen before and may never see again. Music brought us all together regardless of how different we might be, apart from our music tastes. Music is incredibly awesome.

The idea for this blog popped into my head late in the night. Being dark, I couldn't really get a good picture of leaves. Being not winter, I couldn't get a picture of snow. I didn't really know what to do for the picture of physics or music. For these reasons, all these images came from a simple Google search, which is actually awesome as well - that I can find some beautiful images(and so many more amazing things) with a simple key word search. I Wish I could have made this post longer but I was feeling pretty enthusiastic about the idea and wanted to write it down before I forgot about it! I also have to get up early for the ABRA Franklin Cyclo-Cross race tomorrow morning!

Duo Racing 2015 Recap, Part 2: The Big Bear 2x12 Mountain Bike Relay

Just two weeks after a win at the Mountain State Dirty Double, Derek and I thought we would test our skills on a little fatter tires over considerably rougher terrain, The Big Bear 2x12 Mountain Bike Relay.  Two days before the race we headed up to Big Bear Lake campgrounds in Hazelton, WV for a pre-ride of the course.  The course was in excellent condition...dry and fast...just the conditions that I prefer to race.  However, the weather for race day would be a different story.   After rains set in all day Friday and Saturday morning, the course was going to be less than desirable.   While checking in at the venue, we recognized only one of the fifteen teams that we would compete with in the Men's Veterans category--Scott Benson and Gerry Pflug.   My initial though was "Oh, Craaaap".   These two gentleman are fast and have a strong resume of wins on mountain bikes.  Although they showed up with fat bikes, anyone would be foolish to think that they would be slow.

Derek lined up at the starting line for our first lap.    After a long gravel climb to thin the pack, Scott entered the woods ahead of us.    It was clear that the course was going to be muddy as the lead racers crossed the far end of the airstrip race venue 1-2 miles into the race with team uniforms that were barely recognizable.  At the end of that first lap, Derek had a lead on Scott and all other veteran teams.   However, Scott was not far behind, rolling up the cross-over bridge as Derek was exchanging the baton to me.

In the first few miles after I began my lap, I was surprised at how muddy the course was--worse than I had ever ridden it over the past 10 years.  But, I was more concerned that Pflug would be effortless rolling by me any minute.  In fact, I probably had as much difficulty staying on course due to continuously looking over my shoulder for him as I did with the mud.  As luck would have it, I held on to that lead and finished the first lap ahead of him.

So, Derek was off again for another amazingly fast lap in the worsening muddy conditions, finishing in the lead, and leaving me once again for a lap of muddy paranoia.  Fear of being chased down kept me moving on the first lap.  But, would fear be enough to keep me moving as fast while considerably more tired on the second lap?  As I motored on, slipping and sliding, I began to forget that I was being chased down.  The racers were more spread out.  I didn't see anyone behind me, or in front, for miles.    Then, all of a sudden I heard the sandy, grinding sound of a drivetrain closing in fast.  Adrenaline kicked in... but only for a moment as I soon realized the passerby was one of the pro/ex leaders.  A couple of miles later, I managed to roll through the finish in the lead, giving Derek and I a nice 2nd win for 2015.

So,What Have You Been Up To Since We Last Spoke? (Part Deux)

Well guys and gals, it's my favorite time of year again!!! (well, except for Oktoberfest month) It's FALL of course. That is when we can relax a bit since road season is over, enjoy a nice long ride through the Western Pennsyl-ginia countryside with our friends and soak in the scenery...

Ah, this is what i'm talking about!! Early in September, Mr. Jim and I ventured down to his old stomping grounds in Charlottesville, VA to do some relaxing, riding, and of course spectate at UCI Worlds. This is the first time in 33 years that the UCI races have been in the United States, so Jim and I planned this trip back in March when we were in Crozet, VA getting in some long distance, early season rides. The city of Richmond played host to the races and they did a fantastic job. The crowds were large each day for the races and the city looked great and the atmosphere was electric, especially on Sunday for the UCI Men's Elite race.  While we were in town one day, we ran into the Swiftwick rep, so we stopped and chatted with him for a bit and, of course, picked up some swag!!! #dowhatmovesyou

I think the most exciting part of the weekend for me was just spending some quality time with Jim and our friends in Virginia. The riding in that part of the world is amazing, and if you ever get the chance to take a ride there, DO IT!!

Well, back to reality and Pittsburgh where the leaves are changing and CX season is just starting for me. The first race of the year was Kickoff CX in Point Marion where the team had a great showing and snagged a few podiums!!!
(in amongst the raindrops that is) I think JR. appealed to the higher powers for rain on that weekend so I would actually get dirty, but I guess we'll never know.........Hmmmm

A lot of folks take their CX racing very seriously, but I just enjoy being out there on my bike, riding, and enjoying the company of my friends!!! For me personally, a bad day on the bike is better that a good day at the office. So, the second CX race was The Mason-Dixon CX race in Mount Morris where I had my very first DNS (Did Not Start) ever, since I had a nasty fall in warm ups. I'm still feeling the aches and pains today, but will be back out there for The Franklin CX race on October 30th.











Well kids, that's it for now, but I'll leave you with one of my favorite moments from the past few months......

As the leaves turn

Well it is that time of year for cross racing!!!

 

Or it can be a good time to get in some cross training. It can be good to give your body a break from spinning circles to lighting weights or pounding the pavement/trail for some running. Even a good hike in the woods can will help use the muscles differently than they are used to.

 

As the fall turns into winter it may be time to break out the skis for some fun out in the snow. Cross country skiing uses the legs muscles similar to riding and if you get after it you can get your heart rate up to what you may see during the race season on the bike. Mountain bikes can be fun to play in the snow also. Especially night riding with some headlamps!

 

 

Whatever the weather brings there is always something that you can do outside even with the short days. Just make sure you have fun and #dowhatmovesyou!

Cross is back! My favorite race season of allll. Last fall the ABRA CX series kick-started my 'official' race scene career. Before cx, the only races I was doing were the DIY Pittsburgh alley cats (I still nurse a soft spot in my heart for Brad Q and

Alex loses a shoe
- photo by Cassie Fetzer

Erok's punk rock Halloween cats). Despite many mid-race mechanicals, I managed to win the beginner women's series and upgrade by the end of the year, as well as reel in some racing in DC and Ohio. I was totally hooked, and I wanted to drag other city-rat women riders along with me. Over the past year I've been hyping every female cyclist I know up on the sport, and when Kick-Off CX finally finally rolled around I towed down a couple newbs and showed em the ropes. We arrived super early to check out the course, and boy were their faces priceless when they saw the no-longer-anywhere-close-to-dry mud pit slop-fest run-up JR engineered coming out the woods. Alex was racing on a borrowed bike (thanks KJordan!) and flat pedals with sneakers, and she stared at the slippy mud climb in shock for a good minute. She would later lose a shoe to the suck mid-race. 

I had made sure to register all the way back in February, hah, so I had first pick of spots at the line up for my first ABRA 1/2/3 race. I normally get a strong start to the hole shot and today was no exception, but the caliber of ladies around me was impressive and I was dropped off the lead pretty quickly. I ended up racing neck to neck with my teammate

Women's 3/4 podium

Stephanie Lamb. I've been riding a ton of miles for the National Bike Challenge this year, and just started mountain biking this summer to work on my technical skills, but I could tell by watching her lines that Lamb had the experience over me. She dropped a gap on me in the pinwheel and I just couldn't quite make it up on the final sprint. It's obvious that I'll be learning a lot from racing with her this year, which I'm totally stoked about. I've got plenty of strong experienced dude friends who race and are free flowing with advice, but there's something really valuable about being able to learn from someone who actually races your field. So, congrats Stephanie! Be ready for me to glom onto your wheel all season ;)

ABRA cheering section

I caught back up with my cat 4 lady friends after the

race. Elise R podiumed of course, Alex completely annihilated her goal of not finishing dead last, and Elise W nailed her first race with a 7/16 finish on her commuter bike (complete with a rack and comfy Brooks saddle…she DID take the fenders off though!). My teammates Nikki and Kara also got a first cx race under their belts, and looked like they had a lot of fun doing it. Now that our morning race was out of the way, we gleefully revved up for the real reason we were there for the day: cheering and jeering the men's races! …If there was a podium for cx spirit, we all would have been on it. 

I climbed back onto my bike for the brand new women's 3/4 race JR added to the end of the day. I am so over-the-moon about this field; it gives most of the women who show up the opportunity to do a second race, adds a later slot that out-of-towners could easily make (lookin' at you Cleveland), and means the stronger cat 4 women can seed up and out of the beginner class. Not to mention, it pays out equal to the men's field! Everyone loves them some podium ca$$$h!! Ultra thanks to JR for being proactive about women's racing :) This time around I maintained a good gap between two Stephanies - Sydlik ahead of me and Lamb behind. 

Just a little mud

I finished in second, rolling through the finish line hand in hand with my teammate Jeff G, racing the men's 3/4 field. Gee, I wish I had a picture of that, but you'll just have to recreate the cute in your imaginations. After the podiums I cleaned up and packed up, jumped in my carpool and headed out to Maryland with Elise R and David G for Hyattsville CX the next day. It was another gruelingly muddy course. I started about mid pack, based on the points I picked up at my few MABRA races last year, and got clogged up in the start. But, I passed more people than passed me, and finished 8/32. Not horrible for a third race of the weekend. Later I realized, as a bonus, it means I just managed a start-line call-up at MABRA#2, Schooley Mill CX. I'm looking forward to seeing how well I climb through the ranks of MABRAland. It's going to be an exhausting season :D

Thanks to Dynamic Physical Therapy Cycling Team powered by Pathfinder for pulling me on board for this cx season (and beyond!), to Swiftwick for all the socks I mucked up this weekend, Cannondale for swapping out my cracked helmet, ProGold because I always have a stash when I need it, ABRA for throwing the best races, and all our other sponsors! (Especially Honey Stinger, dang I wish I'd had some of *those* stashed away). 

See ya next weekend!
-ALK