Buying The Farm

Another sunny, warm Sunday. Another Cyclocross race. Gone are the Crusades, but there’s still hay to put up at Kruger’s Farm. Many thanks to the fine folks of Portland Racing for putting on another great event. For most of us, this day was the day the fat lady sang……time to hang ‘em up – it’s been a long, long year.

We brought a smaller squad than in weeks prior, due to fatigue and injury, but we still represented in men’s and women’s fields. We had Kristin McCarthy and Beth Chase in the women’s B race, with Kristin breaking into the top 5 for a fine 4th place. Beth struggled in the peanut buttery mud but still had a good solid finish with all bones intact.

Beth steaks out of the sunshine tendrils

For the men, it was Voytilla, Willis, Brody and Dave, the latter two in the Single Speed, the former in the B’s. The B’s racers had stellar days, bringing points to the hopper with 10th and 11th place. Brody fought well in the single speeds and after chasing John Beer from the gun, managed to pip him at the line. Dave exemplified mediocrity, and did his vaunted Titanic impression, slowly sinking, then violently breaking in half, and then plummeting in his own personal neo-race to the sea floor. Pretty, it wasn’t. But at least he didn’t crash!

Clean up in aisle 9, please

The weather was un-crosslike to say the least. Beautiful warm sunshine slathered us all, and it was pretty damn nice. The fire was roasting, the grills were going, and lots of folks came out to ring the bells and heckle. The race also had a prominent feature: a Rotten Gourd Barrier (henceforth to be referred to as RGB) which was constantly re-fortified by spectators each lap. The RGB managed to cause a few wrecks for the folks that tried to get cute with it. Bunny hopping wasn’t needed, the way to do was a little up/down with the front wheel to crush the first gourd your wheel touched, then just power through it. Either way, the RGB was a nice new twist to an already insane Cross year. Good times.

At the end of the day, the barrier still stood….

The USGP comes to town after the feasting holiday, and we’ll be there in some fashion. We think it’s safe to say the majority of the Ironclad team is done pinning numbers on for 2008, but we’re sure a few won’t be able to escape the siren song of the mud for one last hurrah. And of course the prom looms, too. We all know how good of a time that is.

But, for the most part, it’s “So long, cyclocross.”