The weather is too nice for cyclocross.

It was certainly a toss up on what to do this past weekend, but Tim really wanted to race at Barlow. I had been on the road for a week straight (SLC, Seattle, Vegas), so not going to the cabin was an o.k. option, especially since the fire was still burning up there. A great compromise was a great mountain bike ride on Saturday (Falls Creek) with a bunch of friends and then CX on Sunday. I still haven't had enough mountain biking for the year, so Saturday was a nice break from racing and a total blast. Falls Creek out and back is one of my favorites and we hadn't had a chance to ride it all summer, so it was perfect. About 33 miles and almost 5000 feet of climbing. A great warm up for Sunday.

I think we have a half dozen pictures over the years at this same spot. Why stop now?

The crew!

Battle at Barlow was the only local cx race I won last year, only because Wendy didn't show up for the mud fest. This year I rode out there from home and arrived with 15 minutes to spare. Darn head wind almost killed me. Plus, it was hot. I didn't bother putting on my skin suit, because I really didn't have a lot of time. The course was bone dry. The exact opposite of last year, but still a fun course. My start kind of stunk, but I focused on my skills and had a good race. On the last lap, going through the start, however, trouble was in the making. My rear tubular went flat. But I gently rode it through the side hill and debated, should I run in my carbon shoes on the pavement or gently coast on a flat tubular? I chose the latter. I coasted gently through the finish line to victory. This is only the second local race I have ever won. I have never won a cross crusade. Definitely a career goal at this point.
I cheered Tim on through his A race. He decided not to race with the masters and after his endo on the first lap, he crawled back to 15th. A respectable finish and I have never seen so much salt as I did on him after that race. We took a nice ride afterwards and headed to Rogue Brewery to celebrate the last days of indian summer.

Man, my husband is hot! And salty, it turns out.