Monkey On My Back...

That's what it has been like for the last couple of years.

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

I can't seem to shake self doubt as a cyclist and most of you reading this know how important that is to me. I've been off my game for one reason or another it seems for over two years now. And now there is no excuse for it.

So yesterday was the Bar H Bash race. 5 years ago this was the scene of my first XC race. Some of it is how the singles speed class has changed, but most of it is how I have not gracefully changed as things change around me. Saturday night I tossed and turned knowing how poorly prepared I am physically for the race. It's just a lack of riding and a lack of discipline at the dinner table. I was able to overcome the nagging urge to not even start and by 7:30am I was actually looking forward to the race. One of my favorite parts of racing SS is the starting line. We are the first group to go off in the morning and there is so much great energy there.

Once the gun sounded I was comfortable and settled in for long couple of laps. Everything went as predicted and I was feeling pretty good about my ability to hold it together and finish.

Then I pinch flatted as I came off Spit Ears. I would have had to run about 4 miles in bike shoes to finish.

It was not to be.

My mistake was not carefully checking the tire pressure before the race. It felt fine. Yet it was too low and one misplaced boulder the size of a fist took me out.

On to the Ouachita Challenge.