The least prepared I’ve ever been for a race

Better late than never.

Each fall there is a cyclocross race a half mile from my house. I missed out on racing it last season (2011) due to absent-mindedness. I almost missed out on racing it this season (2012) for the same reason. I remembered which weekend the race was, and I thought I knew which day it was on (Sunday). I just finished eating a big lunch on Saturday when I sat down on the couch to check on the start time of the race tomorrow. The race starts at 1 pm. Today. It’s 12:25 pm. I have a full stomach. I haven’t ridden my cyclocross bike in weeks. This is the least prepared I’ve ever been for a race.

I spent about three minutes deciding whether or not to go. I quickly changed clothes, grabbed my bike (which thankfully was in working order), and rode over to register for the race. By this time it was 12:50-ish.

I started mid-pack and spent the first few laps moving up. By half way through the race I could only see one guy ahead of me and I was catching up to him. With two laps to go I dropped my chain and lost some time. With one and a half laps to go I dropped my chain and lost some time. With one lap to go I dropped my chain and lost some time. I had no chance of catching up after that triple whammy.

I ended up finishing, wait for it, 3rd. Apparently there was a guy off the front who I never saw. Anyway, considering my complete and utter lack of preparedness I was quite pleased with the result.

This ended up being my last race of 2012, and it capped off what I consider to be a breakthrough year for me. I raced 26 times (not including the weekly practice crits). I had 3 wins (in 3 different sports), 9 podium finishes, and 18 top ten finishes. Furthermore I made it through such a tough year with no major injuries. Hopefully I can maintain this momentum into 2013.