Candlestick Point Cyclocross

Yesterday was the second race of the Bay Area Super Prestige Cyclocross series. It was a hot and dusty day at Candlestick Point, next to Monster Park where the 49ers play - meaning there was TONS of glass in the parking lots from all of those hooligan tailgaters. I have been to one NFL football game and I highly prefer college football.

Anyway, the race... It went well. I finished second! I really wanted to win for my team, Freewheel Bike Shop, and Travis, and Devon, and everyone who was cheering for me. I think I could have won if I had not made a very poor and uninformed equipment choice that caused me to go practically backwards in the sandy areas. Lesson learned: next time the course has lots of sand, don't bring a bike, bring a bikini and a beach blanket! Excuses aside, it was a fun race and a good effort, plus my friends and former McGuire teammates Jen Day and Teri Gardiner were also racing!

Here we are after the race, I am the one with the really dumb smile and Jen and Teri are the ones who look like mentally capable adults:


Here I am at the start, making a concentrated/silly face:


Here is Jen during the race, look at that smile!


Here is my new favourite feeder, Aunt Diane (sorry Devon you have been replaced!!), without her feeds I think I would have just sat down in the sand pits and watched the race, rather than plowing through:


Here is Jen, who is still smiling?! She must love cyclocross!


Here I am on the podium, where I finally seem to have gotten it together. Cleaned up, changed shoes, remembered to take off my helmet and my sunglasses, remembered to put on arm warmers, and had the foresight to buy bib shorts (note the new Freewheel shorts! they are awesome. Definitely an improvement over my mismatched outfit from the first race). Finally on the road to feeling like a pro:


Here is our friend Brian, who Devon coaches, and who got 4th in the men's A race. Um yeah he totally looks like a pro... (hint he is the only one not in his kit!)


And finally, here is my poor little injured pinky finger, which I hurt during the race. The right one is all swollen, but the left one is fine. I don't get too many injuries (knock on wood) so this is very traumatic for me, sympathy and get well cards would be fantastic as I progress along the road to recovery.