Leaving work early to ride in circles...

Today, I busted bum to be done in lab in time to leave by 4:45, drive 45 minutes in traffic, throw on somewhat clean spandex, and ride my bike in 4.58 miles worth of circles. I don't mean I rode a 4.57 mile lap at Patapsco and then crashed. Nope, I mean most of the circles were not much bigger than the circumference of my Baltimore rowhouse backyard.

That's right - you guessed it - cyclocross season is coming! Tonight was the first 'cross specific training I've done so far this year - a pick-up practice that I often go to during the season down at Rockburn. Considering last year I didn't even have a cross bike yet let alone know what a step-through dismount is, I'd say I'm way ahead of the game. But, my technical cross skills are rusty. I mean miserable can't do a dismount without wobbling, can't get clipped in without looking at my pedals rusty. Hopefully I'll get this whole jump_off_a_moving_bike-carry_it-get_back_on settled before my September 26th cross opener. For now, my fitness is way above my skills and I crashed in the grass once just to prove it.

The things I'll do for riding a bike in circles in the dirt. Only at the races, the circles are a little more convoluted and slightly larger.