The first test

Going to the first race (Gainesville- one of my favorite courses) since getting my diagnosis wasn't so bad. To be honest, I was anxious to go for the weekend but wasn't really sure how I was going to feel or how I was going to deal with it. Yeah at times I wished I was riding or wandered how I'd be doing during the race and yeah I let it get to me a time or two, but for the most part my mind was pretty occupied. Char did an awesome job keeping me upbeat and fending off my dumb comments. I enjoyed myself (as usual) hanging out at at Al's (Char's brother) house with his family on Saturday. Char, Avery and myself always have such a great time there and always appreciate the killer hospitality.

As for Sunday- I was super excited during Avery's race, in which she rocked a 4th place. And during the actual cross country race- I actually thought it was cool seeing it as a spectator and still felt like part of the team helping Steph feed bottles and dump cold water on Char and the fellas while they suffered in the unforgiving heat. I gained a true appreciation for the awesome folks in the pits. But overall, it was a cool weekend. Mayfield was great, lunch with the gang at Tijuana Flats after the race was a good time and the trip to the pool with Char and Avery when we got home capped off the weekend.

I also appreciated all the well-wishes I received from all of the cool cats in the Florida XC race scene- it meant a lot. Chit-chatting with everyone at the venue is a constant reminder of how awesome the FL MTB community is. It makes going to races as a retired expert mid-packer a pleasant experience- along with the unconditional love I get from my 2 special racing ladies.... Oh, which reminds me- race results are here.

I'll let pictures finish the post...