Love. Cross.

I'd been looking forward to tonight for a while, spinning down to Peebles after work to take part in the urban Love Cross race. Shorter than a normal CX race, at 15 minutes plus a lap; and lacking in mud with the entire thing on tarmac, it was an absolute blast. I hadn't expected to get out of my heat into the final, but in the end I think I only just missed out. I'd gone too quickly to begin with after the Le Mans style start of us running to our bikes left me higher up the field than I've ever been. Adrenaline took me the first lap and a half, and then I realised I couldn't run up the long steps section two at a time anymore.

Every lap involved a soaking as well, with a group of kids in 'Water Pistol Alley'. A few riders, me included, took to goofing around, opening our mouths to get a drink, I also pretended to be in a shower, and then skidded to a halt to trackstand right in front of them and get properly soaked.

Reminded me, again, how nice the cross folk are, and how much I've got to enjoy riding in these things (despite the obvious total knackeredness). And while this was obviously a quarter of the length of a normal CX race, there was definitely a sense that I'm getting better. Who knows, one day I might hit the middle of the field after all.

Lovely moment too, before the race, as the family ride beforehand gathered, spotting a friend from school who I knew lived in Peebles, and who I'm friends with on Facebook, but who I hadn't seen for a scary 21 years. And y'know how some people haven't changed a bit and it's really annoying?