Raced cross in St. Charles yesterday. It was a VERY technical course, which did not play to my strengths. But it was still super fun. Part of my problem is that I only start figuring out the best way to ride the course on the last lap or two. Then I can see the line I should have taken in the beginning sprint, the way to get through the off-camber turns and deep gravel. A couple practice laps are great, but I'm not experienced [or smart] enough to work it out then.

I lined up on the outside to start --the inside was the better choice-- and ended up 10th or so in line up the first hill. Trapped behind some slower racers, the front group rode away from me. [JT, racing juniors, passed me in the first third of the first lap -- the boy is FAST.] I again spent the race working up to the woman in front of me, passing and dropping her, then setting my sights on the next one until I ran out of laps. A Mission Bay woman gave me trouble for a while, then a Tati girl remained tantalizingly out of reach for two laps -- every time I got close, I'd screw up at a barrier or in the gravel or in the off-camber turns, and she'd get out ahead of me again. I finally caught her on the last lap, passing her on the way up the hill and somehow managing to stay ahead of her through the barrier and run-up. I could see an Alberto's girl way up ahead, but finished sixth way after she'd crossed the line.

So basically, I need to nut-up and really kill the opening sprint. Got to practice that.

After the race, Beth and I went to Loyola Medical Center to visit Emily who had crashed Saturday on a pleasure ride with her husband and fractured three vertebra, including the all-important C-2 -- i.e. she broke her neck. She's all screwed into the halo device that will hold her head and neck still while the fracture heals. She'll be in it for the next three months. Hard core.

It was good to see that while tired and on a lot of pain medication, she was in good spirits. She has full movement of her limbs and they think that after she heals she'll have full neck movement as well. It could have been a lot worse. For Emily, the glass always seems to be half full. She should be home by now.