Thread City Cyclocross-Crank(less) Brothers

The ride down was probably the best part of the whole morning. Great foliage, calm ride, no traffic on the pike, of course it was 7am so I shouldn't expect there to be any. Easy driving. The venue was at the Mansfield Hollow state park which is just another of saying the Mansfield Dam. The c-mens field was larger than I expected, many people there to kick my ass all over the course. It was a long lap based on my pre-ride warmup inspection. Lots of little run ups, some rideable, some not, one wet run if you stepped off the sand. For those who attended, you know you saw at least one person get their feet wet in the reservoir. Usual banter on the start line, blah blah blah (wish i could race with my MP3 player). The whistle goes off, we all take off, a cold start for sure. The wind started picking up or it was always blowing and i just didn't realize it until the lap the started and we were in the open field. The first half of lap one went well, but it was the sandy rundown and run-up when everything came apart. For starters my right Crank Brother Candy Pedal was a pain to engage, really troubling. I couldn't put much power down with my foot slipping all over the place. I was able to manage the run ups ok and not fall on my skinny ass. I could pass people on the run up and any downhill technical stuff but in the end too much of my energy was spent trying to get my feet clipped in. While I was worrying about that, pinch flat...luckily I had a borrowed set of pit wheels and was right back out there finding new and creative ways to stink. Not a problem, got back on the course only to endo in the next patch of loose sand/dirt. At that point i was just trying not to wash completely out and the day became an exercise in one legged pedaling and different ways to curse at ones shoe/pedal. Crossed the finish line with feeling I had to puke, so I guess I gave it everything I had Overall, 20th out of 27th, even if the pedal didn't break, I wouldn't have faired much better. Left the race exhausted and hungry (for something fried and greasy). I know what I need to work on....everything, more power, more energy, more endurance but at least the bike is one piece. It wasn't until I got home that I figured out what was wrong with the pedal. The clip-in mechanism/spring is popped out of alignment becuase it's bent not allowing the cleat to engage properly, ie: its' a fancy way of saying...hello warranty coverage. On a funny note, on the last lap, on this crazy hill, you had to ride along an earthan wall, about 60 or 70 degree angle, and this college kid from UNH runs into a Masters 35+ guy (looked like they both collided together at the same time )....the guy started screaming "you ruined my race, blah blah blah, a few explicitives" it was pretty funny to pass him laughing becuase he was waayyyyy too serious. He was all bent out of shape, and he wasn't even a leader or in the top 5 I don' think. I give credit to the college kid, it's racing and he held his ground (its not like this guy is gunning for sponsorship, and he is definately not the next Ryan Trebon or J Powers). I'm probably wrong but it was funny to watch and finish my day off with that, just my two cents (racing is racing). Next up...a new pedal, a kid who refuses to sleep, a crappy work week and some tailgating..I might even sneak out to the canton cup to see if I can find out how close I can come to puking without actually hurling.