We arrived early at the track for our races; mine was first at 9am and Rachel’s was second-to-last at 1:30pm. It was chilly to start, but the sky was clear so we were thankful for a nicer day than last week at Fruitland’s. After dressing up and registering, we got on the track to warm up but less than half way through the first practice lap, Rachel got a flat tire and became a bit frazzled. It wasn’t the best start to the day, but it was all uphill from there.
Since my last race, I had been looking forward to Fruitland’s Cup of Cyclocross so that I could (hopefully) continue to improve my results. On the other hand, Rachel was VERY nervous leading up to this event, since it was her first. She was worried I would be disappointed if she did poorly, but I did my best to assure her that I just hoped she would have fun for her first race, so that she would want to do more in the future. To make a long story short – she certainly didn’t disappoint and we are now both looking forward to our next race, Cheshire Cross!
My siblings, Casey, Charity & Julie, were at it again this past weekend with another marathon! Rachel and I always try to go and support them on race day, and this time it was a no-brainer, because the race was on Mt. Desert Island (“MDI”). It would be our first time at MDI/Acadia National Park, so when we found out the race was on Sunday, we decided to drive up Friday night so that Saturday could be spent experiencing some of what MDI/Acadia have to offer. We arrived at our home for the weekend, Hadley’s Point Campground, at 8:30p on Friday and quickly set up camp then got to sleep, in preparation for an early start on Saturday. The temperature was forecasted to drop to the low 30s, so we deployed our warmest tent and an extra sleeping bag to use as a comforter.
In the weeks leading up to our Mount Desert Island (“MDI”) weekend, we stumbled upon this list of the best bike ride in each of the 50 states, according to Bicycling Magazine. Coincidentally the ride in Maine is the Cadillac Challenge Loop, which covers all of MDI, including Cadillac Mountain. The description on the site reads: “Pedal these 98 winding miles through Acadia National Park and you’ll pass rocky cliffs, secluded coves, and lighthouses—and climb up 1,530-foot Cadillac Mountain, the park’s high point and the first spot in the United States to catch rays from the rising sun.” Sounds great, right? It did to us, so we planned to tackle the challenge on Saturday, but with a slightly modified route so that we could start/end at our campsite and ride up Cadillac Mountain at the beginning to see the sunrise.
For my second cyclocross race, I joined my friend Andy again, at Mansfield Hollow Cross in Mansfield, CT. Coming from Boston, I arrived a little late and had barely enough time to register, ride one practice lap, and make it to the start before the Cat 4/5 race started.
