It's hard to believe that a year has gone by since the last Frozen Hog. It's also roughly the amount of time it took for my shins to heal from all the pedal slamming they took last time. If my lower half was responsible for filling out entry forms I would have slept in Saturday. Instead, I reminisced to inner-rockstar tunes on a drive down to Alpine almost identical to Race Day, 2009. It seemed realistic to expect similar conditions- some deep snow (off trail), some water, some mud (on the uphill) and some sensible types strategically placing themselves for views of the likely fall zones...their usually-muffled laughter like little puppies licking my face as I lay squirming under my bike trying to get up but sinking deeper, deeper into the quicksnow. I am totally over last year's race.

2010. A new decade, a New Hope. A New Start. Really, a new start-

Follow up:

a Le Mans-style one. Usually, it plays out like this: all racers stage their bikes in a designated area. You then line up at the Start Line, and run your wind-cheating spandex-clad ass along a short course (maybe a hundred yards) in bike shoes that leads back to your bike in the Staging area. Very French, very 1906 and very fun for spectators. The organizers (great job by the Bike Peddler crew) this year (in cahoots with the weather) added an unexpected twist. The 100-yard Le Mans Start was followed by the 1.5 mile Le Mans Bike Push, followed by the 1 mile Bike Sledding and Slippery Fun Slide, followed by the .5 mile Le Mans Bike Push Redux, followed by the .25 mile uphill Bike Ride. And repeat. All mileages are SWAG's at best.

This was the *easy* Sport course. Experts got to have an additional Expert Push-Sled-Slide loop for their added enjoyment. The upside for me was at least 80% less crashes than last year, which from a time-on-bike perspective probably works out to about even. More important was realizing how much I enjoy watching my bike rolling along the trail. Unencumbered by a rider, her blackwalls tracking along the pitching course, riding high on her suspension...that Lady Has No Sag...a small tear, a quick wipe of the eyes and it's back to concentrating on the trail, dodging half-buried rocks and avoiding rear-ending the racer in front. I think I really gained her trust, running alongside her like that, for so long. I bet she'll let me ride her next time. Don'tcha think, Pa?

Having met my running goals for the year (nine months before the first 'cross race) I hoped to achieve just one more goal, set in a calf-burning rush at the start of the second lap- to clean the uphill Slippery Fun Ride to the Finish line. Thanks to the cheering throng surrounding the finish area (see "likely fall zones" above) I slipped and slided but spun my way across the line somewhere in the neighborhood of 1:07, feet still on the pedals. Pretty close to last year's time, but without the souvenir Candy-pedal-pulverized calf protectors.

See you next year!