Polar Bear Cross

Apparently, the temperature last night was the coldest it's been around here for more than ten years. All the way down to -12 C. Still, by the time the whistle blew at 11 am, the mercury had risen to -3. Lots of griping at the start line. But just another Sunday in October for the Winnipeg cyclocrosser. These people don't know how good they have it. They have a season that lasts 4 months. And even when the weather is at its nastiest you don't really need a jacket to race, let alone something so exotic as Cousin Adam's wool balaclava. The sweetest skinsuit in the world held up well. Some serious R value there.

Two hour drive to Charlotte. Strange course. Not terribly technical. But bumpy. Very bumpy. The frozen ground probably didn't help. With the bike bouncing all over the place, it was hard to keep the speed up. It's not entirely clear why, but there were plenty of crashes too. At one point I could hear bodies and bikes getting all tangled up behind me. Better there than in front. 5th place out of nine for me. Full results here. Sorry, no photos. The photographer and her assistants stayed home.

The season finale goes down tomorrow. I will not be there. Cyclocross season is officially done.

Sweet burgers and fries at Five Guys, post race. I think it's an east coast chain. Go there if you can. This one was just down the road from the Lowe's Motor Speedway. Yes, we are in NASCAR country. Apparently they run a time trial series there as well. One big velodrome.