Wouldn't it be cool...

You know that saying April showers bring May flowers?.... well in Oregon, November showers bring out bike racers. Over a 1,000 people raced at Cross Crusade #6 at Barton Park last, last week-end.

And after a solid week of our first real winter rain showers... the course was primed to be my first mudfest. I was undeterred by the thought of being covered head-to-toe in mud. The almost certainty of having to put in serious time cleaning my bike. Even the knowledge of how dirty my car would get with three bike racers in it did not give me pause.

I was excited about my new fire-engine-red IRD mud tires that I was told would grip anything. So excited, that I forgot the number one rule of race-day.... Never try out new equipment! That's for amateurs, people who don't know what they are doing. Like me, even though I race in the women's As, I am apparently still an amateur. During the race, I spent the first two laps (out of 4 or five, I can't remember!) getting way-laid on the turns because I could no longer use my ass to slide the rear of my bike around turns... actually had to pick a line instead! Easier said than done when the 2000+ wheels that have ridden before you have made their own quagmire of lines in the mud over multiple laps, and not necessarily going in the best direction.

But, I managed to climb back from almost dead-last, even riding up one of the run-ups and avoiding eating concrete when I slipped on a barrier (that left a sweet bruise).

Definitely could not ride up this run-up though...

Crazy barrier action... look at those things!

And after all that mud, I managed to get my bike back to clean...

And do a little celebrating with Heather!
Parting shot... The Finn-isher post-race!