Epic Racing around the World

Which would you rather do - end your year poorly, or start it off as such?

That’s perhaps a bit harsh, but with travel and racing, often the measuring stick, and at times justifiably so, is in the results. There are few moral victory points in racing, but I’ll say its better to go out in a blaze of glory than to never have ignited at all.

Friday I escaped, solo, from the depths of winter in Portland to the endless summer of Los Angeles. Virgin skin and shielded eyes were singed by the glowing orb in the sky…how quickly in Oregon you forget what clear and unabated skies look like.

The race was a small affair offering a jump start on the ‘08/09 cyclocross UCI points standings. To race an early season cyclocross race, out of your region and seasonal timeline is put to your performance out there to be evaluated. An unfinished cake or project that merely is having its temperature taken somewhere along the way during its building process. For some, to peek in at the progress would ruin it. For me, I love to measure, evaluate and enjoy that return on the hard work that goes into getting back into race shape. We’re not there yet, but the fire’s been fueled and fed a bit.

And at least now I know which side of the oven is cooking more slowly than the rest.