2019 MoVal CXC Challenge


In ancient times explorers would imagine all sort of fantastical beasts inhabiting the unknown spaces through which they travelled, or were expected to travel, creatures that would lure them to their doom. "Yea, though I ride through the valley of the shadow of death..." Well..., that ain't cotton candy filling that trench through which those riders are about to ride - that thick, choking dust hid twin beasts, roots of pepper tree and bumps of hard-packed dirt. More than one racer, on Sunday, found their day's grief in that trench at the MoVal CXC Challenge - in fact I still have the tooth that shot out of someone's mouth and smacked my big-brimmed hat with some force. Let me know if it belongs to you.

No, that ethereal smoke screen filling the trench was not cotton candy, though if Dorothy who, by the way was in peak master-of-ceremonies form, had it her way there very well may have been smears of that neon candy coloring all around the course, and I am not just talking strands of it streaming from the drooping branches of pepper trees, mixed in with the deep piles of leaf-litter, nor making a sticky mess of bike chains everywhere. Riders themselves might have had sour-apple green, or bubble-gum pink lips, blueberry blue, tangerine orange or various other day-glo rainbow hues staining and streaking their cheeks. Psychedelic cotton candy hand-ups anyone? I didn't happen to notice spectators putting the enticement to practice, but maybe I missed it. 

"...And if you go chasing rabbits, and you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar has given you the call..."

What I didn't miss was all the great action taking place; three weekends into the season and I think everyone knows the competition, not just for the daily podium spots, but for point accumulations as well. There were tight races being waged everywhere - through the sand, up the stairs, over the barriers, tight around the trees, in the shade and beneath the glaring sun - no one needed monsters, there was enough challenge in keeping up with their fellow racers.

As if there were not enough fantastical beasts hidden in all that cotton candy, it is now time for Spooky Crossitas - on to Lake Casitas!


rainbow swirl

not as deep as they sometimes are, the sand pits still caused their share of havoc

home is where you set up camp, and a nice front row spot it was too

mechanical

physically impossible to get any closer to that tree

body language

hands up - the universal proclamation of victory

all smiles

as it was the first two weekends of the season, it looked to be shaping up as a battle between Christina and Diana again...

but no, Sunday brought a new champion to the Women's A race - Jenna Miller

Click for the album for the 2019 MoVal CXC Challenge.

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