Winning a series; and signs that the season is ending

This week was the final race in the Tuesday night series at Kelso Park. I'm gonna miss that series. 12 races, of which I took part in 10, throughout this fine summer went by like the summer itself, much too quickly. After winning two of my first three races up there in the Sport category, I never tasted victory again, but I apparently rode consistently enough through most races -- even including that July dip in form when my brother came to visit and we spent more time eating out than out on a bike training, but with no regrets, of course -- to finish the 30-39 age class in first place.

If I'm honest, I don't remember the last time, if ever, that I won a mountain bike series? I might have when I was in my teenage years at the North Down CC winter mountain bike races that my dad and uncle would run and that would take place in far more hostile conditions to those I had to adapt myself to on these hot balmy Tuesday evenings, but I can't be sure. I think I did, so I'll choose to say I did, but I may not have and if it is the case that I did but just forgot about as a teenager is apt to do on the belief you'll do it again and again anyway, then I won't make the same mistake twice.

It's been a fun season of mountain biking and these Tuesday night races have allowed for me to do more racing this year than I have since I was about 15, and even then this might be the most in a single year ever. It was nice to win twice in this little series even, as I say, if it was a mid-week series sport category, but it's something that feels good no matter what the standard is and having not done that on a bike for about 15 years, it sure felt good and you remember why you enjoyed it before and wonder why you allowed yourself to wait so long to do it again.



Next Tuesday is a fun night of cycling related games, a barbecue and prizes. It should be fun though I can't help but wishing that the series went on for another few weeks yet. The weather is brilliant and only the shortening nights are getting in the way of prolonging it into September.

My cycling will continue into October I would like to think, and I've two more race events to go -- the provincial championships and the Tour de King -- but these final days of August, the darker evenings, the 'back-to-school' signs for the kids, and, as has become a recent addition to my life, the run-in of the Baseball season, all point towards the end of another cycling season, and I can't say I'm looking forward to it. Despite having done fifteen races already this summer, it's gone way to quick and it almost feels like there hasn't been enough.