Practice makes perfect

I got out to do a good hard cyclocross practice today at my newly found local training area, Prospect Park, home of the famous "Witches Hat" water tower and the highest natural point in Minneapolis. Here is the bird's eye view of the park. Despite its compact size It has a nice mix of pavement, grass, dirt and and since it is built on a hill there is lots of run ups and off camber downhill slopes. There are also hardly any people there, so I don't feel like an idiot on parade if I mess up.

My progress so far is small. I still screw up getting on and off the bike, and if my imaginary barriers (aka the sidewalk) had been real I would have crashed several times! I am fine when I am fresh, but once you start getting tired finesse goes out the window. But, there are still a few weeks to go before the first race! Practice practice practice...