Spooky Crossitas Saturday
With all the bones and skulls, all the rotting pumpkins, severed heads and other corpse parts scattered around, I was not the least bit surprised to see vultures circling in the great blue beyond every time I looked up from the race. I am pretty sure that thing I saw one gnawing, out on the far side of the course, was a bloody leg bone. Though many riders were forced to run the course following a flat, I never heard any report of anyone going missing so I guess we are okay. And if those buzzards didn't get you, the flies were sure to. Just what the heck were they feeding on anyway. If we can learn anything from the movies it is that there will always be swarms of flies where some evil lurks and, interestingly, those masses were only in certain areas around the course...
alright, lets's get this started
Saturday's race at Lake Casitas was the fifth (the fourth weekend) of 2019's SoCalCross Prestige Series; Dorothy was not sure if this makes the fifteenth or the sixteenth edition of Spooky Cross, but either way it has already been a good, and popular, run for the event. The first Spooky Cross I went to was in 2011, and it has always seemed to be among the more popular races on the Prestige Series calendar - the costumes (and the extra costume race), the decor and Halloween-themed activities give it a different festive air, a little extra. If not for Spooky Cross there would not have been a wave full of Super-heroines circling the hillside with capes "so billowy" fluttering out behind them. If not for Spooky Cross there would have been nothing to prompt someone from among the La Grange crowd to call, "Thank you for coming out Batman; Gotham needs you!" Nor would there have been the response: "It's Batgirl. I have boobs." If not for Spooky Cross that vulture would have gone hungry.
One thing that does not change just because of Spooky Cross is the intensity(*) of the action - those series points are just as actively sought as they are during any other race and, as we get deeper into the season, every one or two points added to the overall standings takes on added significance. Take the women's 'A' race, for instance (I believe) Diana Sjol maintained a slim two point lead over Christina Probert Turner: Christina picked up important first place points Saturday afternoon, while behind her, Diana chased hard to regain ground after washing out in a slick turn, losing three spots, but recovering enough to finish 3rd. This duel will be one of those to watch during the remainder of the season's races.
that's what it's all about
room to roam
one of the terrific one-on-one duels of the day was between these two
it was Hawaiian shirt weather
another dueling duo
spooky cross
I'm probably messing up the reference, but the first thing I though of was Easy Rider
life and death
Spooky Cross
yet another dueling duo
fourth weekend before I finally saw a hand-up
some guys seem to glide over the barriers like they are not even there
I know that pose - how many times did I have to stop and pick some little thorn out of my shoe, anyway?
that's what it's all about
Lynn during the Women's A race
never serious Tamara
Christina on her way to winning the Women's A race
sisters rule the kiddie cross
the "that's what it's all about look" - even the single-speeders have it
Lynn on her way to winning the women's single-speed race
good to see Dot found some time to race
looks like the spookiness scared everyone but Christina, and the medic, away
punkin' carving
the Men's A race takes its start
a couple "U" turns make the gap
another dueling duo - this one in the Men's A race
Greg "Local Bike Stand" Goodwine
still dueling
You know, I have wanted to be a bit more thorough with results and to that end took photos of all the posted results sheets, but due to mechanical error only one came out legible - Wave 7k the single-speed and men's 'C' races (guess I try again next time):
Men's 'C': 1st Andrew Osiadacz (Meatsled), 2nd Dave Culbertson (unatt), 3rd Dale Huckabee (Big Orange)
SS Men 'A'(CX 1-5): 1st Paul Hernandez (SoCal Cross TEAM), 2nd Brett Cowan (unatt), 3rd Miguel Sutter (unatt)
SS Men 'B' (CX 3-5): 1st Bob Snyder (Backbone Racing), 2nd Mike Tsoi (Team Dream), 3rd Jason Shanney (Tres Leches)
SS Women (CX1-5): 1st Lynn Kennedy (SWAT), 2nd Diana Sjol (SWAT) 3rd Susannah Lowber (SWAT)
Not only did I have a more difficult time than usual narrowing down photos to accompany this post, but had an even more difficult time narrowing down the selections for the album - because of that it will take you a little longer to look through them all, so grab your coffee, settle down, and get started: The link to the album with 267 photos is here.
Next up Chollas Lake Park in San Diego
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