Velo Club Moulin

Sunday 23 November 2008

A Grimace Behind a Smile



Today's cross race was a little different to last week's double header. Mostly due to the biting wind and freezing rain. Oh, and maybe the sand.

I started out warm enough, aided by an energetic pre-race skipping rope routine, but I found it so cold I couldn't maintain my temperature and finished with hands like swollen mallets, finding it difficult to shift gears. That might also have been due to the sand though...?

Anyhow, bits of it were great fun, bits of it were super tough and all the way round we were encouraged by some unreasonably enthusiastic marshals - How they maintained their sunny demeanor despite the baltic conditions, I do not know. One commented on the fact that I was still smiling. Several times in fact.

I know I was never smiling at the spot he was standing. I was actually grimacing and muttering curse words under my breath after fouling up a dismount, kicking my pedal, having my legs buckle under my weight and failing, once again, to haul my sand caked bike onto my shoulder. Instead I battered the step with my front wheel swore at my gracelessness.

Once home, it took half an hour in the shower to get the warmth back into my bones.
Please, oh please make next week less inclement, and maybe I'll have more reason for genuine smiles!

5 comments:

chrisD said...

hey well done, I couldn't face clearing our drive of snow this morning to then drive for two hours, etc.
sounds like a good hard race though.

martysavalas said...

cracking race.

wondering if andy's face has thawed yet?

Dean said...

Well done, once again!

I think I got all your mud today...

andytrailfettler said...

by feck it was cold today. And that wind... Took me about an half an hour to stop shivering after! Good 'training' for Mull! I was warm enough during the race except my legs which got real cold about half way through.

The sand section was alot of fun, especially hitting the first soft bit flat out with a tail wind!

Well done Anja with the win. Thanks for the mid race encouragement!

andytrailfettler said...

Getting a mouth full of sand from your front wheel when unintentionally carving out of a wheel grove....wasn't so much fun..