First Loser #2 and Autumn Mornings

Cyclocross season has arrived. Last night I rode my first race since February, a small pre-season event at Herne Hill velodrome, and scored my second second place in three days. I only got my bike working again on Tuesday and didn't get a chance to ride it before the race, so my skills were rusty to say the least. Obviously I've been riding an MTB a lot, so I knew what I wanted to do on the cross bike, but getting the bike and my brain to work together wasn't always easy. Also, coming from an MTB with its embarrasment of braking and cornering grip, it's hard to feel immediately confident on the skinning tyred, fragile-feeling cross bike.
I was feeling better by the end of the hour, but the first few laps were bad, and saw me languishing alone in fifth place. My gradual rediscovery of my technical skills luckily coincided with the guys in front of me suffering a spate of mechanicals and tiredness so I managed to claw my way up to second with a lap to go. One more lap and I reckon I could have won, but that's racing.
The first lap was hilarious with a course marking cock-up sending us round the course in the opposite direction to how it had originally been laid out. It certainly didn't benefit my sketchiness having practised everything the other way round. Still, we were all in the same boat and it was great fun.
The weather for the last few days has been brilliant. I hope it stays like this for the whole of the autumn like it did last year - I absolutely love these cool crisp mornings and warm days and the great light you get first thing in the morning.

Photo from londoncyclesport.com