Cross Racin' in TN and GA

Riding the "cow pond" in McEwen, TN

This past weekend was more cross racing for me all over the South. There are too many races and not enough weekends and it means that I find myself doing a lot of driving. There were two TN races this weekend in McEwen, TN that I wanted to check out and there was also a GA cross race in Rome, an hour from home. I decided to split the difference and do the TN race on Saturday, sleep at home Saturday night, and then head to Rome on Sunday to check out the GA scene.

Saturday was fun but challenging. It was a bit of a "mountain bike" type course. I am a mountain biker and all so that was good for me, but it was still not exactly what I was hoping for. That is the neat thing about cross though... some weekends you LOVE the course and other weekends, you deal with what you've got.

The race was at a farm and there was a "bowl" that was actually a cow pond. It was muddy and gross. There was also a log that 99% of people were running over. A few guys were jumping it and I was (the only one) threading the bike around it. It was doable as long as you were okay with letting the rear wheel hop around the log as it bounced off of it. Again, I am a mountain biker so I figured it was faster than running (since I am NOT a runner). That worked out AWESOME and I was gapping people there every lap. And then there was an "incident". I did a slight endo and scraped myself up and got a bit of a headache. I still won the race but I felt a bit stupid.

Sunday was a GREAT course and we had a good size field. I don't know the girls down there so it was a whole new experience. I had no idea what to expect. I was also really excited Star came along for her first cross race of the season. They lined up a HUGE field for her race.

Star did great. She hasn't raced cross since last spring so it was a a bit of a shock to her system. The first one of the year is always rough. She had a challenging start, getting tangled in the tape in the first turn. After that she turned on the afterburners and started picking people off. She ended up 8th which was awesome. And she had a blast. She can't wait for the next one.

I attacked at the start and never looked back. I rode hard and strong and I felt good. I was "on". And I won!!! What a great day. I am getting really excited for Nationals.

As a side note, not only did they pay pretty well, I also won a freshwater pearl necklace from Greene's Jeweler's in Rome. Thanks!!!