Today was the first of what will be weekly cyclocross practices with the team. It was the day that Ernesto started to rear its ugly head, so Judd and Melanie were the only ones to come out in the misty rain. We started from Michael Faraday Ct. and rode on Difficult Run to Lake Faifax Park. From there we rode loops around the fields there to warm-up some.

All was well until Melanie noticed a tool fall out of my seatbag. As soon as she mentioned it, my heart sank because I knew my cellphone, drivers license, and credit cards had probably already fallen out. I was right and so we started retracing our steps around the fields. Melanie found my license and credit cards, but after several loops we were unable to spot the cellphone. We gave up and then rode back along Difficult Run to the W&OD and headed East.

We rode the gravel trails alongside the paved trail that I commute on and I was decently pleased with my bike-handling. Occaisonally, we'd dismount and run with the bikes for a bit, then remount and continue on. We finally made it to Vienna, and for lack of a better place, we found a spot in the park there to do some barrier drills. Judd set up a board against a lightpost and we were set. I did more mounts and remounts over that barrier than I probably did all of last season. And for that, I know I'm already better. It's going to be a great season.

I had to leave Vienna with enough time to make it home before it was terribly dark. I had to ride the last few miles with the guide of the trail lights, but I finally made it home around 8p. My bike definitely looks like a cyclocross bike now--there's plenty of dirt and mud to go around.