Our first race of the day was the 3/4 Masters Race, where I finished 17th (according to their results!)...
...and Rich finished 23rd (also a bit suspect).
But neither of us cared if there was an error, because were were both Pa. residents, because the course was really fun, and because despite the 25 degF temperature…the sun was shining brightly!
Our next (Team) race was the U19 race, in which Sam RODE AWAY from all other contenders in the first lap. So while Sam took 1st Place in the race, as a Pa. resident, he did not qualify as the Ohio State Champion! But a local paper did interview him (while he ate a sample of the Tofu Hot Dogs being sold at the Start/Finish area!) and the race promoters let him keep this cool trophy :)
After hanging out for a few hours, Sam then started in the Cat 1/2/3 race, where he contracted the Claw of Death (forearm cramp) and had to abandon.
Other neat things at the race were, (1) The Bike Rack outside the potty, (2) The Drum Corps, that could be heard ALL OVER the course…
(3) The Ridge of Doom and Destruction Finish Line, where if climbed too fast, you would catch air launching over the top...
...and (4) My (CycloCross) Cow(Bell) Hat!
All in all, a great day and a course to return to next year.
For more on the day, watch Sam's Blog for anything he may post.
Ride moto to work... with even bigger wet snow flakes sticking to my helmet shield, and now also the grass.
Hey everyone... Winter is coming!
On this day, we had every class covered...well ALMOST every class. We left our skirts at home, ON the riders we left at home...!!!
After ~90 minutes of dust had settled...and blood had dried(!)... Sam finished the race as the 
Watch 
We were both crossing over a rock pile with a sharp drop on the far side... and just as I was dropping my front wheel off the ledge, to my left, I saw the other rider's head going straight for the ground as he went over the bars. 
Into the first barriers I was in 4th place with the lead group. However, by Lap #3, the fast lead-out pace was taking it's toll on me (and hopefully on others). As I began getting passed by other riders, Mike rode by me with good legs, and continued to pick fading riders off one by one. 
By the end of the race, 
By Lap 4, the gap had grown to 90 seconds and by the finish 
Attending were 
In fact, after his finish, 
From there, we rushed to the next location, a tunnel under a local road at the race’s ½ way point. There, already waiting to direct the riders into the tunnel darkness was a 6-wheel “amphibian” from the New Bethlehem Fire Department.
First to emerge from the shadows was a group of three riders …one from Dirty Harry’s, another rider from KHS Bicycles, and Ag3r’s Super 
The next spectator area was a road crossing at the course’s ¾ distance. We got there just in time to catch the leaders blasting down off the hill and out on to the pavement. 
Back in the “press car” (!) we raced back to the Finish, a high speed drop down through a grassy park, and back out onto the pavement within a ½ mile of the finish. Coming through the grass, 
While waiting for the final results to be tabulated, it started raining HARD… and kept raining all the way through the Awards Ceremony.
At the ceremonies, Rich Allen was announced to have taken 3rd place in his 50-59 Age Group. As reward, Rich collected a Medal, a Cash Prize, and a jar of Peanut Butter from the local Smucker’s plant!
For 
Meanwhile, 
Before leaving town, we all visited the Festival’s food vendors for fresh pizza, steak sandwiches, and chocolate covered frozen strawberries!
While revenge was certainly sweet for 
...and Mike 
When it was all over, we were crushed... 
...but had memories to last a lifetime.
...and remember, Ag3r / 
