Unfortunately, I looked like this all too often at the Lansing cross race yesterday. My skills were terrible -- especially mounting. I seem to have forgotten how. I need to spend some time practicing getting off and on my bike this week.

The course was completely flat and fast. No place to recover for a moment, just all out effort the whole time. I got a better start this week and hit the first corner in the top five. A few women passed me after that, and I got caught behind a slower rider and ended up 20 feet off the lead pack. I worked my way up to them by the barriers, but my skills were lacking and I lost a place or two there. The barriers and the sandpit really broke things up. By the third lap, I was in fifth place. In the fourth I was in fourth place and closing in on Eileen in third. I caught her at a barrier and she and I were yelling at each other to go go go.

And then I crashed into the barrier before the sandpit. Got myself up and over, dashed to and through the pit, hopped on my bike . . . and my chain was off. I was afraid to try to pedal it on as I'd gotten it completely screwed up a week and a half ago trying to do just that. So I dismounted, fell, got up, fiddled with it -- Randy ran over and started talking me through it. When I'd finally gotten it on and gotten going, three people had passed me. I easily caught and passed one of them [might have been a junior], but Eileen and the other rider were just too far ahead. I really pushed through the last lap, but I never got close.

On the good side, we'd opened up such a huge gap that the women behind never got close to me either. So I finished fifth. Not bad considering. I feel like my fitness is returning.

Afterwards, some lovely women in the team tent cooked brats and veggie burgers for us -- a delightful post-race meal. Eileen finished third, so we both won $20. Nice! We got our registration fee back. All in all, a very fun day.