CSAJ Riverdale Cross race report

Today I racked up my first (and I suppose only) DNF of 2009. The photo below says it all:

Lap 1 went really well - started a little slower than usual, seeing if settling into a spot I think I could finish with worked better. It seemed to, as I finished lap 1 feeling good and started to pick up the pace to try to catch the next man, only metres ahead. Out of the baseball diamond spiral I stood up to accelerate, just got up to speed and saw a flapping piece of broken course tape. Then I was on the ground. I guess the tape grabbed my handlebar and pulled the bike out from under me.

It was a mess, with the brake cable housing actually out of its stop and such. I fixed that, then shouldered the bike for the runup since I was more or less at the base. Remounted at the top, only to find my chain off. Fixed that, got going again, but by now the majority of the M1 field had passed and the Seniors were long gone. After pedalling along for a bit longer and looking at the increasing amount of blood coming from my knee, I decided to call it a day. I let Steve and Al know I was done, and went about cleaning up my leg. After a brief wipe with some TP at the washroom I figured some first aid would be wise, and got helped out with a proper cleaning and some gauze.

Now that I'm home and showered, it's not so bad but I put some 3M Tegaderm over the wound in hope of fast and clean healing. I'm getting quite good at this after my road season this year...

Back to the race, the St. Catharines folks had a good showing with Geoff winning the S3/4 race, Brandon Etzl sprinting to a win in the Junior race, Aly taking 2nd in master women and Nathan dominating the Sr. mens race. The course was pretty good, with the long runup and another climb taking up the majority of the time, and the rest being a mix of straightaways and spirals on the flats. Not a very selective course, so it came down to who had good legs... which I did, and I think I would have done well, perhaps not getting lapped by Nathan which would have been a first since upgrading this year. That said, I am content with my season and was not necessarily out to accomplish or prove anything in particular. I'm very much undecided about racing next weekend. On one hand, the legs are there and it would be nice to finish the season on a high note. On the other, my head has really not been in the racing lately and I have little left to do with my season. Goals passed and fitness maximized, I really need to change gears and get back to the longer hours in the saddle for next year's preparation. I guess I'll have an answer by next Sunday!