- Ohio UCI Cyclocross Festival Weekend - Harbin Park, presented by BioWheels & UDF - UCI C1

Wow!!! First CX race. Top 10......I rule!!!

Second time with big fields. Dealt with it a little better, but was drained from the day before. I also trashed my fork over a root. Fun course though. Wide ope dirt crit type of course. Will be looking for redemption next year.

I once again had a decent start, but was hit by bad luck in the first minute of the race. The start was fast as usual, and relatively smooth for the first two straights on the grass, then the course turned onto a section that went up and down a small slope several times over about 100 meters. On what was probably the second down slope, the ground was loose and the rider in front of me slid out. The fence was on my right, there was a rider on my left, and I had no where to go. I tried to brake, but that didn't work and I ended up hitting the guy's bike and going over the bars. I landed on my shoulder, which produced a nice tearing sound, and ended up in a sitting position. I was in enough pain that I couldn't move, causing a huge backup for all the racers behind me. I thought I had broken my collarbone until I examined it further and realized I had just dislocated my shoulder. I got to ride in the golf cart to the doctor at the race and he put it back in place for me. After most of the pain subsided from that, I realized that I either bruised or fractured a rib as well. So I'm not racing for a while now, but the at least my shoulder appears to be healing faster than other shoulder injuries I've had before.

I made it a Pro-1-2-3 event. I was the last one to roll across the start line and I was moving up well. I had about 6 crashes when the tires slid out around 3 different dusty corners. I road with Ryan Gamm until he stopped then the next lap I was pulled. Yet with timing chips and all I was still given 41th and Ryan was given 40th. (seems like the chips are a waste of money.)

I hate flats. A minute lead on the 2nd place rider and a piece of metal went through my tire. That one was hard to swallow. Dammit.

I am very proud of my son this weekend (son and daughter always!) in his first UCI Pro 1-2 Cyclocross races against the big boys!

Tuff day at Harbin Park, my favorite course of the weekend, but worst luck. I think in hind sight I race a little too low air pressure in my front tire. I rolled it twice; both times in the fast down hill off camber left hand turn before the down hill. The time I lost trying to get my tire back on the rim and riding a third of the course on a flat front tire had me pulled by the officals after the second last. Live and learn or sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. Well here's to a fun weekend and I'm looking forward to cross practise Tuesday night and the Cap City Cross - Dublin race next Sunday.
It was great working the pits for ALAN and see my sons race his first UCI PRO 1-2 race!

We hit and road seeing that Tony had a large lead in his race. I called Blair on the way back to Columbus only to find out his 1 minute lead was all for not. He puncture with a lap to go passed the pits and there was not muck he could do........better lucky than good. For his third cross race ever he road with power and was smooth. Time to email Andys to be a Cat.3 for cross. Good ride Tony!