The Night Weasels Cometh!

And they bring rain. Sure, for many, cyclocross and rain go hand in hand. And this week, Mother Nature stepped up to provide three days of nearly non-stop rain leading in to the Night Weasels race. I texted my wife earlier in the day telling her that I absolutely could NOT wait for the carnage.


To the best of my knowledge, this is the first official mid-week 'cross race in the area (not counting Wednesday training races), and the first race at Ski Ward. The venue was great, we wound in and out and up and down the ski slope--good up-hills and fun down hills.

I was surprised to see the parking lot nearly packed to capacity when I arrived just before 5pm, and it was twice as full when I left later in the evening--looks like the event was a success!

I signed in, got my number, and did a lap on the SSCX bike. It would have been do-able on the SS, but gears appear to be favorable overall in 'cross racing--unless you're racing against other SS fools. I put the SS in the pit and took out the geared chariot. After my "experiment" with off-road drop bars, I decided to go back to my roots and re-install my flat bar. I felt SO much better.

Anyway, as usual, I lined up near the back of the 74+ or so riders in the Cat 4 group and waited for the start whistle.

Once we were off, it was again my goal to stay away from the squirrelly riders who can't handle the combination of tight turns, mud, and bikes. Unfortunately, those are the same riders that seem to pull away from me on the power sections. Damn them!

I could give you turn by turn details of the course, but instead, I encourage you to waste the six minutes to watch my first lap here:


It was a really fun course, and there was still a good amount of light when we started. By the time we were finished, the ski hill's lights were much appreciated.

I ended up finishing 38th overall in the Cat 4's, and 13th in the Cat 4 35+. The wonder kid that destroyed our field was 14yrs old. Kids these days, no respect for their elders!

I'll miss Providence this coming weekend (this pesky job is in the way), but I can't wait for Casco Bay, in my old Portland, ME, stomping grounds. Stay tuned!

Yeah, right in the puddle.

I do love these colors!

Grace!