Photo Dave. This race has become the event that brings together the entire Chicago dirt riding community at once.  It is great to see and talk to everyone.  I was able to nail my race day preparations.  After seeing Julie off to help with her team early, Molly and I crawled back into bed and stayed there until 11AM.  On top of the bowl of frosted flakes I had, I was feeling Greaaaaaat!  Threw some stuff in my bag and rolled out to the course.  I arrived just in time to watch Julie finish her race for 3rd overall and 2nd in her age group!  With an hour or so until race time, I rode around a bit chatting with everyone and trying to convince myself and others that we were just going on a fast bike ride in the woods with friends.  I honestly wasn't expecting much from myself, and that was nice, because it was setting me up for a fun race.

The start was strange.  I had a hard time going forward as fast as I wanted and in a straight line.  Elbows aside, I just so happened to be stuck in a small rut, running parallel with the course.  Down the hill, along the lake and back up the hill I did my best to stay in the front group, but it wasn't happening.  Or at least I wasn't as close to the front as I would have liked.  I put in an effort and caught Hemme as we bombed down that first loose and fun decent.  Then it was a long climb up to the top of the hill before we bombed down the pavement into the first real single track. 

ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK.  We did everything to try to claw back some of the lead Kevin and Matt had taken.  I dropped Hemme and Chris and made my way up to John Gatto and another rider.  As we climbed up out of the single track onto the trail that used to have the three log jumps, I asked John for the pass and gapped the two of them.  In my efforts to try to make that stick, I pushed just a bit too hard through one of the loose flat corners and washed out.  While I was trying to compose myself, al those dudes went by me, and while I was trying to find my rhythm through the ravines, another racer caught and passed me.  Nine and ten someone on the trail yelled at us as we passed.

So right then and there I decided I was going to be top five.  I knew with a little work I could bridge up to Hemme and Chris again, and if I could catch John I had a chance.  So, the start of the second lap was a push and it went much the same as the first lap, with catching and gapping the same dudes in the same places.  Climbing out of gravity cavity, I had moved up into fifth and was about to pass into fourth place.  The lap felt strong, my legs still felt strong, so I went for it and took that spot.

We climbed the hill onto the third lap nearly side by side.  Jeremy shouted that third was slowing so I gunned it off the grass and onto the Blue trail.  The climb out of the bottom lacked the snap I would have liked, but I tried to keep the pressure on the best I could, both to catch third and drop the rider on my wheel.  He was still there as we started to top out of the hill, so I took the last couple up parts kind of easy.  The plan now was to recover as best I could down into the single track and just take every corner as fast as possible.  He was a little taller than me and I hoped if I rode aggressively enough I could loose him as the trail twisted.  Alas, through three ravines he was there and it was obvious to me, if it came down to it, I was not going to be able to sprint him up the finishing hill.  So, as we came out of gravity cavity I figured this was the last spot to do it in. 

I went as fast as my tiring legs could carry me through the parking area, down the double track, through the short piece of single and back out onto the crushed limestone climb onto the grassy hill.  He matched every effort as I exhausted myself pulling him around like a toy train.  Out through the grass and the hair pin corner, I knew he was going to take me on the climb, so I figured I'd make him think I was going to contest it and make him work for it.  Shift down and fly along the flat down near the lake as fast as I could to carry as much momentum as I could onto the hill, not for anything but getting me to the top with a little less effort.  As I started to make the turn up the hill, still leading, I could hear EVERYONE screaming.  I shifted down into the middle ring to stand and pound the pedals and crunch, the chain got a little stuck.  The back pedal to un-jam it, I look up and he puts three or four hard kicks to the pedals and is GONE up that hill.  I crawled up that hill, not really out of defeat, but just plain tired.  Just about everyone I knew ran up the hill with me and I even got to give Julie a kiss as I rolled over the line for 5th overall and 2nd in my age group.  It was fast and fun.

Kevin and Holly both ruled the day and won the elite men's and women's field, a hige congratulations on those efforts!  Super strong.  After the race, we headed over to Al's house for a Half Acre end of summer styled BBQ.  Holy cow, I have never seen so much food eaten so quickly.  It was great to get to hang out with all those folks outside of the race environment, chat about life and hear everyone's excitement for cross this fall.

Oh yeah, twenty fricking days and counting!