Kutztown CX

aka the day I went for a run at the gym after the race and didn’t wash the embrocation off my legs

It’s been called a roadie course...not too technical and fairly flat...there were long straightaways on which you could really hammer. I did well here in the PACX last season, taking the win. The only notable change this year was “the whoops” section (four consecutive dirt humps) which replaced the log overs.

One thing I’ve noticed about embrocation is that it never works when you want it to. I did an initial application before I left and rode with heat on full blast in an attempt to activate it.

The temperature dropped ten degrees by the time I got to Kutztown and there were patches of snow on the course. After two warmup laps, I returned to the car and turned on the heat.

I can’t complain about my start, it was decent. A group of five hung together for a little while, then it went down to four and finally three. I sat in second most of the time. The effort didn’t feel hard...it actually was a fun race, one in which I didn’t really care about winning...and that might sound strange to a lot of people, but that competitive edge is something that I'm lacking. All three of us had a good race and I was content with third.

One beer, a cup of coffee and a peanut butter and banana sandwich later I was headed home. Then, in one of the poorest decisions I’ve made in recent months I went for a run at the gym without washing off the embrocation. The burn was so intense, it lasted hours after the completion of my workout. Lesson learned.

Sometimes it's not about winning every battle...I've been consistently decent in the MAC Series this year.  The final race of the season is Limestone on December 14th. I'll be there, wearing yellow.