Boss Cross #2, Parkville, MO

On Saturday night, I wasn’t sure I’d make it down to English Landing Park the next day for BC #2, so I didn’t have expectations for this race- that seems to be a good mental state for me going into a race.

I arrived at the park on Sunday morning and saw the course strung out everywhere. Yes, I know that is the nature of a ‘cross course, but this one was really piled up on itself and I had to stand near the first double crossing for a couple of minutes before I figured out where everyone was coming from. Some of the dog-walkers and joggers in the park must have really been freaked. The tread was worn in from the race one day earlier and the soil was near perfect. There were two corners I consistently slid out but everywhere else it was full speed ahead. Jump, dive, and brake late were the orders of the day.

I had a great race. I slid into 5th position from the start and stayed with the 2-6 riders for most of the race. Mark Cole disappeared off the front early and it was obvious it’d be a race for 2nd. Two guys got a small gap on 3 of us after the rider just in front of me stumbled and we got held up. I spent almost two laps chasing down the 2-3 riders and had Rob Schultz go around me briefly. Then he started to fade and I went back around him and another rider and then zeroed in on 2 and 3. I caught them on the backside straightaway along the railroad tracks and they sat up as soon as they saw I was on. My instinct said, “Kill these guys now!” and so I launched and didn’t look back until I was riding through the finish with 2 laps to go and saw I had a 10 second gap. I held the gap on the last 2 laps and rolled across in 2nd. I never saw Mark.

Britton got 2nd in the SS race and that seems weird to me. Not weird like carrots-in-orange-jello, but weird like throwing a glowstick in an open flame. It’s bazaar but then delightful once you realize it’s possible.