From our Field Correspondent, Brother Andrew:

Alright ladies and gents I got two cross race reports here for ya, so get ready to enjoy. First things first, due to a phenomenal response to Moose Cross (an my above par write up), the gang from Victor have set up two more races this season. Head over to moosecross.blogspot.com and get the details. Additionally the Rolling Thunder Cross Race will be held in Missoula on October 18. It will not disappoint, and I have plenty of couch space. Now onto the race reports. My apologies if they seem short, I start a new job tomorrow and have a bunch of stuff to get ready.

Autumn up here in the Big Sky means shorter days, colder temperatures, an increase of drinking, and the start of Missoula’s Wednesday Night Cross Series. This Wednesday marked the first of five races here, so I headed down to the Fort, slapped my twenty bucks down in the table, and knew I had five solid races to look forward to. Let me say one thing right off the bat, the folks in Missoula take the local cross race SERIOUSLY!!! The course had a little bit of everything, barriers, paved roads, gravel roads, a trip through a barn, railroad ties to hop over, two large mounds of dirt serving at the run ups, and for good measure a bumpy field which if ridden incorrectly could destroy your taint. It seemed like everyone in town who owned a cross bike showed up to race, and everyone was juiced up to get racing. As for my race I hopped off the front right from the get go, and let the suffering begin. Halfway through I was picked off by a couple guys, and got into survival mode. Only one scare happened when Downtown JB took a digger in front of me going into the barriers forcing me to hop over the barriers, JB, and his bike. I hopped away with some minor cuts and finished in third, which was good enough to earn me a six-pack of beer.

Sunday brought the start of the state series, with the first race over in Butte. Sunny skies and temps in the 70’s doesn’t seem like cross weather, but I’ll take the good weather while it lasts. The race venue had the wonderful backdrop of the continental divide and one of the largest superfund sites in the country, it don’t get much prettier than that. The course was divided into two sections, the bumpy part and the not bumpy part. The bumpy part had you wishing that your headset was nice and tight (mine wasn’t), and also included the run up, where if you didn’t like a long steep run up, you might as well turn your car around and head home. The flat part included a lovely ride through a beach volleyball court with some nice deep sand, tight turns, barriers, and some tall grass which seemed to just sap everyone’s speed.

The races all went off smoothly and at the end, anyone who raced agreed that they felt like throwing up. Mid race one racer told me that he wanted either a beer or a gun to ease the suffering. I managed my way to another third place, good enough for some gas money and some congratulations. After the race, the Missoula crew headed to town for burgers and beer, which were enjoyed by all. I must say that I’ve officially been bitten by the cross bug, similarly to the punk rock bug which bit me back in the seventh grade. Never has feeling like absolute shit felt so rewarding, Wednesday nights and the weekend can’t come quick enough. That’s all I have for now, until next weekend when we have the Helena Omnium, three races over two days!