Kansas State Cyclocross Championships

The plan was to to use the 40 minute Masters 35+ race to get warmed up and get the course dialed in. Things didn't go exactly that way. Great start and I was in the front group and we were pulling away, when I dropped my chain (yes, again). Put it back on and dug deep for the entire next lap to get back into the lead group. Then it happened again, in the exact same turn, exact same bump. Those of you that read my blog know that i've been haunted by this stupid little problem all season. Everybody within a 100 feet heard the R-Rated expletive and saw the equally stupid bike throw. I was done! Pissed off and in no mood to continue. Had a cooler head prevailed, I could have put the chain back on, road to the pit, and finished the race on my pit bike and still made the podium. Well, the cooler head did not prevail. I spent the next 30 minutes trying to get the problem diagnosed. The chain on my race bike was a bit ragged so I elected to put my race wheels on my pit bike and use that for the 1/2/3 race. That race went rather drama free for the most part. Still don't have a whole lot of power in the legs so I finished up mid-pack somewhere. Ironically, Troy Krause dropped his chain in the same turn, same bump that I did. That was just the start of his issues. He flatted somewhere and had to run a good half-lap or so to get to his pit bike, and STILL almost caught me. Brian Jenson and Shadd Smith were glued together the whole race and sprinted out the finish, with Shadd winning by a bike length. Next up is Nebraska. Yes, I will have a new chain on.