Ohhh Copley what a battle is coming for you.

I cannot be more honest when I say again I went into cross season 2008 just to improve for years to come. Finishing positions were not supposed to be important, just improving the skill set. The single speed and the mountain biking are all a part of that. But I have not been doing any cross specific training. Like race starts and the short hard intervals that are required for that glorious pain fest we call cross. As Thom and I discuss were basically detraining right now. Probably getting a little slower with each event.

But I find myself in 4th in points going into the last race and what a great yet precarious position I am in. I can easily topple to 10th, but I only have the slightest chance of moving up to 3rd. Amazing how a points race really makes you focus. But I cannot do anything training wise now that would help me in the last two races. Its just too late. Oh and I just caught a cold last night. Bummer dude.

Here is how this crazy points game could unfold. I have been very consistent this year and this has yielded 4 good finishes of 9,9,7,6. Thats great, but its also bad that my ave finish position is about 8th. The three guys just a few points behind me (Tony Marut, Thom Domonic and Zak Dieringer)all have a much lower drop than I do. IOW-I drop a 9th, but they drop a 16th, 15th an 12th. The lower the drop, the easier it is to climb up the points at the end of the year. My drop is about where I always finish-drat!!

And then if you dig deeper you see that there are fast guys with only 3 races, but a lot of points. Of those who have a shot at overtaking are Cameron Jackson, Brent Evans and Shawn Adams. Shawn and Brent only need to finish (no mechanical)to move back into the top 5 (where they belong). If Shawn wins he can take the title!! I am sure he knows this. I am cool with that.

So what does this mean? It means that Boughton Farms on Dec. 7th is going to be extra fun. I love a good battle anyways, but now there are points and positions on the line going into the race. I know who I need to beat and I know I need to have my best race of the year. I cannot wait!!