Verge New England Series: Chainbiter 8.0

It starts to feel a little more like 'cross season when you wake up, check the weather and see that it's 30 degrees outside.

'Cross season is also nice because I see so many people that I know. It makes warm-ups less stressful to be shooting the shit with people that I trade the paint with. I hear even more people yelling "go Jay" or "yea ATA!" I have no clue who some of you are, but its nice. Helps keeping me turning those legs over.
The start was the usual affair of me holding on for dear life. When I heard the dirt under my tires I started making moves and finding that when you force yourself into gaps that aren't really there, it suddenly opens up and you can snatch it off the market.
After a lap or so everything got gaped out and the business of hurt started for the day.
Going all out and trying to catch whoever had blown up and holding off the chasing dogs that were behind. Note to self, when the new jerseys are done, I gotta get a med. not a small.
When I passed a guy who was selected to the U23 mountain bike worlds team it gave me a bit more juice. Just not enough to fend off the hard charging leaders. Its a pretty hard pill to swallow when you see 184 beats per min on your heart rate monitor and the leaders are still closing in on you. Its a good reminder of who they are. Who you are and what it is your hear to do.

Devil wasn't willing to make a deal with me (I was praying for just one more lap.) I was passed and pulled with a few to go, but was "finished" with a lap down. Some how I finished 4th in the U23 race.
No clue where the podium was, but you can be assured, I'm not saving anything today.

Photo credits go to my man Christoph. Thanks for cheering me on and snaping the good shots.