Back when I got hurt at the end October I was so bummed that it ended my cross season. After the surgery and recovery I started physical therapy with the singular goal of being able to walk by Cross Nationals. Five weeks was not a lot of time but while my therapist practically laughed at my goal we went for it. While I was bummed that I couldn't ride I was determined to be there for the riders on the TREK Cyclocross Collective.
I was determined to be there but I really didn't have any idea how use full I would be or how well I would get around. Turns out that getting around the venue and getting around the house is just a bit different. Day one I figured out that even with the cane I wasn't going to be very mobile and the pit was a long way from from the trailer. Lucky for me we were working out the TREK Factory Racing MTB trailer and they had a pit bike. This bike was my savior, an old TREK folding bike that was perfect. Of course I was a little nervous about riding it since it would be the first time I rode outside since the crash but it worked out well.
In a weekend filled with highlights I do have to say that working with Matt Opperman (TREK Factory MTB mechanic) was a big one for me. Arriving pretty much empty handed I was pretty much worthless from a wrench perspective and Matt picked up the the wrenching duties. It was a little bit like going to school all week watching how he handled different situations with the bikes, riders, and various other people that thought they needed to be in the tent. Working the pit was much less stressfull with Matt there and Rafal, my pit partner from Masters Worlds was there as well. Since there wasn't much mud, pit duties were pretty easy and it was nice to catch up with rest of the other mechanics that work our travelling cross circuit.
The races went well for the team and we had riders on the podium nearly every day and Katie won her 10th title in a row. It was a great end to the season for most of us while Katie still has Worlds, Tokyo, and a few more races after that. As for me, I can't wait for cross to start again!
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| Hanging out in the pits with my ride |
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| Mark on the stairs |
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| Katie on the off camber |
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| Katie nearing the top of the stairs, 24 steps in all |
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| Yahoo, Katie ripping the dowhill |
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| Working out the TREK Factory rig, way too cool |
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| Mark and I working the pit with Matt's Boone |
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| Ellen, 2nd U-23 and 12th overall in the Elites. At 18 yrs old this girl is the real deal. |
So that's a wrap, Cross season is over and I see the road crew is all ready getting ready for the season. I'll be heading back to physical therapy and continue to work on getting my leg operating correctly. Hope to get back out on the road by March and start training again.
Have to say thanks to all the photographers at the races, I've lost track of who took all of these pictures for photo credits, so if you took em', thanks again and well done!
