Cyclocross Reality Check
In the Practice of Groundedness , the first principle is to Accept Where You Are to Get Where You Want to Go . This weekend was one of those times where my expectations met headlong with reality and it wasn't pleasant. I was really looking forward to facing a strong field - the local guys in the Pacific Northwest are some of the strongest riders in the nation. I was fortunate to be on the front row thanks to my 3rd place a couple of weeks ago. As the clock ticked down, I wasn't feeling too nervous, which was unusual. Sometimes my legs are shaking, I'm so nervous! Perhaps I wasn't focused enough, but when we started, I couldn't get my right foot clipped in cleanly and botched the start. Heading into the first corner, I found myself probably in 12th - 15th spot. Over the first set of 3 mini-barriers we went, I decided to dismount instead of riding over them. That meant I needed to run the next couple of off-camber corners before I could get back on the bike, only f