I envy you. Gonesh9. I lived in Portland last year and raced the CC series. Damn, I miss Portland! The cyclocross scene was so laid back and fun.
Back here in the Twin Cities, we have something like 11 cyclocross races this season. We don't get the 600+ riders that you guys get -- more like 200.
Anyway, I started racing singlespeed this year, but we don't have a singlespeed category, so I'm racing B's. It turns out that I place about the same as always, middle of the pack. I guess multiple gears really don't make much of a difference in the B's.
We had a race on Sunday that involved a long, steep descent, with a flat run out to a double hurdle, that involved scrubbing off a bit of speed before dismounting. I was behind some dude on his left, we were both partially dismounted -- left leg clipped-in, right leg ready to dismount, when I decided to swerve around to his right -- Bad idea! He hit the brakes hard to check his speed, and my front wheel got swept out to the left as I tried to get on his right side. Well, I remember seeing the ground coming up fast. I instinctively tensed-up every muscle in my neck. I hit the ground HEAD FIRST -- my helmet literally breaking my fall, at about 16 miles per hour. The spectators were impressed with my perfect a$$-over-tea-kettle wipe-out. I got back up, amazed that I could move my limbs -- nothing broken. Checked my bike -- wheels true. Holy Crap! I survived. Well, I got back on the bike and kept on riding to the cheers of the spectators. My right brake lever was bent inward about 30 degrees, but it didn't matter. I didn't have a lot of energy left after the adrenaline surge wore off. I got lapped by the leaders -- a phenomenon that has NEVER happened to me in the B's, so I knew I was off my game. Well, it wasn't until I crossed the finish line that I noticed how serious that crash could have been. My helmet, which was now adorned with a tuft of grass and dirt, had one huge crack up the left side, with a network of smaller cracks running throughout. I had shattered my helmet, but my skull was intact. Yay, Giro helmets!
Hopefully, the rest of the season will be less eventful.