Green Wing

The work week started off as quite a soaker almost three inches of rain fell over the past few days.

While I am still trying to get used to the non commuting life cold October rain has me happy to not be pedaling to work. What i need to do is find something else to get me moving through out 

the week. I may just have to charge the light system that I have and start riding the 

state trails just so I can move my fat ass. 

Speaking of moving there will be a lot of that going on this weekend,

I will be watching and cheering but if you wanted to race something with knobies on them

this would be the weekend.  Not only is the last race of the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series but also a top notch Cross event up in the Burbs of the Cities. 

The mountain race is a rain date from earlier this summer. It was a tough start to the season with 

one race Mankato that probably should have been canceled followed up by the Red Wing race

which suffered a ton of rain and was canceled. 

Mid Oct is late for a Mountain race and it falls smack dab in the middle of Cross racing season, so it should be interesting to see who show up.  As racing goes this is one of my favorites for a number of reasons,, more than anything it kick ass due to the fact that it is the closest to what riding is down here in the Drifless Region. 

I was really looking forward to racing this one as we have not had a good race there in years,, last year we had to race a shortened rain lap and the year before that in the end of the second of four laps the skies opened up and made the course almost impassable.  So this was going to be the year to put it

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all together,, But instead I will be on the side lines cheering on all my THC* teammates.

The Cross Race up in Lake Elmo is by far one of the best of the fall calender.  Green Acres is a tubing hill which throws a good bit of elevation change into each lap. I showed up two years ago on a whim racing the old Cannondale and had a blast.. Flash Forward to  last year I was the one week owner of a Brand New All/City Nature Boy,, that I had maybe 50+ miles of riding back and forth to work and I showed up ready to race.

At this point in the season this would be my first Number Pin of the fall and all that I would line up with would have been doing it for at least a month plus.  The Saturday race was cool and windy with moist ground that allowed the corners to be carved like a turn in deep snow. 

I had a blast on the new bike jumping the fly over and suffering for 45 minutes of pure sweet hell.

Sunday saw the temps drop close to 20 degrees and rain lots of rain,,, the kind of rain that is almost snow.  You got soaked and cold just warming up,, and the ground was slow,, so slow that I had to 

change the gearing on the bike to account for the drag that the mud was going to cause. 

First lap as a nightmare of just trying to stay up right through the sloppy slippery slop.

I got to the front and went backasswards for the rest of the day but continued to have fun even if my face did not show it. 

This is another one that I am going to miss,,, but not only am I in no shape to race anything still 

not cleared to go elbow to elbow with anyone. And from the sounds it should be a big weekend 

for the CX crew as some heavy hitters from out of town will be showing up. 

But non of this happens until we get to the weekend and over this Hump,, the sun is to 

come out and maybe some wheels will turn.