It's just a little mud...

Yesterday I tried out my new tires on my bike for the first time in preparation for Sunday's cyclocross race.  I headed out to some trails to practice riding on grass and getting on and off the bike while going as quickly as possible.  I rode through some mud, made my wheels spin a bit, and got off and ran up a hill with my bike on my shoulder.  Of course, I came to stand still getting back on, so I lowered the seat.  No problems so far.

I was slipping around, keeping my balance through muddy stretches as I headed down a hill and saw a puddle.  I didn't want to ride back up the hill, so I went through.  The mud and standing water (with much algae growth and odd, oil-like patterns floating on top) was soon a few inches deep.  I was still upright and moving forward and it looked like the stretch was ending soon.  Then I turned a corner and it kept going.  I saw other trails and they were all flooded too.

Three things occurred to me at this point.  One, it's barely rained for the last two weeks; where is all of this water coming from.  Two, if I keep moving, I won't get wet.  Three, I've stopped moving and the mud is over my shoes.

I felt like Atreyu slogging through the swamp of sadness.  I was worried that I was going to lose my bike like Artax.  It was then I saw a trail to the side that seemed to have more tall grasses to step on, so I headed that way, lugging my bike with me through the mud.  This is where the giant, man-eating prickers attacked and the trail turned out not to be a trail.  I saw a clearing a little ways ahead and then made it to within ten feet of another, dry trail.  I couldn't get there.  The pricker growth was so thick I had to turn around an backtrack the whole way.  Then I had to go back up the hill I was avoiding in the first place.

I headed back today, but completely avoided the bog I found yesterday.  First I found the thorn that poked through my tire and put a pinhole in my tube.  Riding on grass is much more tiring than the road and I do not have easy gearing on my bike.  I don't know how people get on and off their bikes at speed, but I'm going to do the best I can.

All of that said, I'm really excited about tomorrow's race.  After my riding today, I think I have a little more reasonable expectations for how I'll do, but I'm going to have fun.  That much I know.

Cyclocross, here I come

I've got my first cyclocross race coming up on Sunday.  Academically, I know what to expect.  I'm prepping my bike as best I can.  I found slightly knobby tires to fit my road frame.  I'm taking off the bottle cage and computer.  But, I really don't know what to expect.  Even seeing pictures of the course, I have no idea how this is going to go.  The one thing I do know is I'm excited and can't wait to give it a try.  My wife keeps repeating one phrase to me, "Don't hurt yourself."  She says this to me a lot.  It means a lot to me that she cares for my well being enough to place that subconscious thought, "...hurt yourself" into my head to strike when I'm least prepared.  Hopefully it won't happen during the fire jump on the course.

Wish me luck.