I love golfing. I have gone about once a year for the past couple of years, but the only goofy ass pants I own, are meant for biking so we know where my heart lies. For quite some time I have thought that it would be a great idea to have a cross race on a golf course. And after Saturday I was right. Man, that was the best race of the year. It helps that my legs carried me to a 6th place position, but it was so much more than that. The atmosphere was all the way live. Everyone was reveling in the great day. I brought the H-Ball along and he cheered for me while I raced in between digs in the ocean sized sand boxes. The 3′s race started with a clatter as the Lion went down right in front of me in the start, and I felt bad but there was nothing else to do but ride over his wheels like they were a tubular speed bump…sorry, there was no other choice. And in my second attempt was almost pushed into the sand trap on the left in the opening 50 yards of the course. The start was mediocre and that left me a with about 15 riders to get around. What’s that in the distance a change in elevation? Double barriers leading up to a sandy mulchy run/ride up that was a vortex for me and my feet trying to find the pedals, it never happened right for me on that hill. The first sand trap was a blast. Gather some speed on the short descent leading up and crank it right through to the next one jump off and run, with that little hill at the end that was a killer. Underneath the radar was the section shortly after that where the ground was terribly uneven and bumpy and I think it scattered the brains of the roadies. Almost everytime I rode through, there were riders slowing down as I sped up and flowed through what felt like a full day at Paris-Roubaix in only a couple of passes. Going into the last lap it was a group of three and I was sure I could hang with them to the line. Then the gap opened at the barriers going up the hill the first time. The descent was a sure bet to gain a little time back, but not enough. Another barrier, as the pair crested the hill as I watched, and bumbled the clip in at the top. Going into the sand pit I cruised through it only to get stuck on the exit. Second sand pit and on exit again a stumble and a poor run up the small hill. That’s it. Four small hiccups on two of the most technical features of the course and the Loud and Kurtz show rolled on without me. Last lap bobbles aside this was a great race.

I saw the caption on the Chicross website about never let your friends watch your kids when you are racing and my heart sank for a second. Ahggg that can’t be my kid that my friend watched while I raced…But alas nothing greasy like a bacon hand up happened, or at least it is not on film yet. We stuck around for a few Fat Tire hand ups and wondered if that mohawk kid’s mom really would kick the ass of someone’s mom. Then the dude began to expire, so we had to call it a day. There was a time in between riders where the Hball was in the sand pit about 50ft. from me I looked up just as the Rooster walked by him with a cowboy hat with bunny ears on it. The Hman said something to him and the Rooster did a double take and kept walking, good stuff.

The best part of the race, and the day for me was the morning after, when the H bomb was running around the house screaming ‘DO IT IN THE DIRT, DO IT IN THE DIRT’!!!!