Making up for it

I raced in 0 road races this season due to lack of interest since I wasn't able to race my key races.  Now I have done 9 CX races and looking forward to another 2 months of CX!  Hope to make a long trip out to Indiana for a December cross and possibly over to PA as well.  


For anyone that likes to ride but has never tried a Cyclocross race, try it!  I don't think it is possible to like to ride a bike and not like to race cyclocross.  Maybe next year the season will move back into August, why not?


Halloween CX
Day 1 involved me having a horrible first half of the race, I couldn't seem to stay on the bike.  I was not pedaling smartly and instead was spinning out in corners, wasting energy, and my rear brake was hanging up.  That resulted in me slipping backwards throughout the race but not completely separated.  I went from irritated to laughing:

The last 2 laps I settled down and starting thinking while I was pedaling instead of just grinding away.  That resulted in me pulling past a few riders, staying upright, and ended with a 4th place finish in a small B2 field.

My plan for Sunday was to not make the same mistakes as yesterday and instead pedal efficiently and push hard on the small bumps but get quick recoveries in the other sections.  I was feeling good and only made a few small mistakes until I crossed the bridge leading up to road and was able to pass a rider who fell in the water.  I then made the turn up by the road and felt my rear tire go flat.  With no spares in the tire pit (stupid) I rode half the field thinking about options to realize I had none so DNF for me on day 2.  When can the mental part align with good luck and the physical part to produce a good finish?