Saturday: Hillbilly Hustle Pre-ride & Clinic: I arrived fashionably late for the official course pre-ride and clinic, which was also the final installment of the Tuesday night Philthy Cross Clinics. We had a good group show up and we went through the course and detailed each section. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and I got to feel important, which is always a plus! The best thing about these clinics is seeing riders improve and have more fun. Thanks to all those who came out, I hope your learned a lot and are caught up in the cyclocross cyclone every Fall from here on out! And thank you for making me feel like I knew what I was talking about!
Saturday Night: The Marriage of Anna Kelso & Jeff Schalk: After a pit stop at my old stomping grounds in Mt. Washington for some eats, I made my way to Frederick, MD for my friends Anna & Jeff's wedding. Everything was awesome, and I got to see a ton of people I haven't seen for a while. There was such a happy & positive vibe throughout the whole ceremony and reception! I couldn't picture a happier couple! Congrats you two!
Sunday: Hillbilly Hustle V.4: After a long drive home and 2am bedtime, I awoke sans alarm at 11am and set about getting over to the Hustle in one piece. With a nice prize purse up for grabs, and an amazing trophy, I was really hoping to make the top step of the podium on the day. I felt a lot better than I thought I would, and was cautiously confident at the start, knowing that I had some stiff competition in riders like Ryan Dewald, Stephan Kincaid, and a Swiss U23 rider whose name I can't recall at this time. With a front row start, I set off and hit the fist section of twisty windy further back that I would've liked, around 9th wheel. I quickly moved up in the first lap into 4th/5th with another rider, but the front 3 had taken off before I had a chance to get on the train. I rode steady and stayed out of trouble and off the ground, chasing with the same rider until the end where I was outkicked in the final lap. I was happy and not happy at the same time, I really wanted to win, but feel the front 3 were the strongest on the day. I should have had 4th wrapped up, but just didn't have it in me after my efforts the previous two days. End Result: 5th/20
Next up is the Richmond Festival of Cross. Even though there are bigger races with more money, they are also farther away. I sort of want to keep things low key before the Granogue/Wissahickon weekend where I would like to do well in a deeper field. Hopefully this plan of mine will work out!
See you over the barriers!
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