Town Hall Cross in Bethlehem, PA

It was an absolutely gorgeous day in a really pretty section of PA. 11 am start. I'm kinda liking that. Masters 45+ (35 and 55 in a combined field). I hadn't done this race before so I didn't know what to expect. Turns out there is s fair amount of altitude change, hence the "St Lukes (a Hospital that sponsors the race) staircase", a section of switchbacks up a sizeable hill with a steep kick up at the end. Then a long, twisting decent into a flattish area. Got a good warm up, felt pretty good. Pre-rode most of the course and found that the only way I could get my rear derailer into the largest cog was to hold my lever in. Not good, but workable. We had a staggered start, 35's going off 1st, 45 's a minute later, and then the 55's. i got a front row startingb position and got the best start of my life, right up the hill. Lost a few stops initially and then gained a few back by the top; I was in the 1st 10 to crest the hill. I rode it all of the laps (lots of cheers for the hooligans at the top, heckling/cheering the racers on). The decent allowed you to recover, but was tricky; I wiped out 3 times (2x at the same turn. Yea, really) on it and once in the gravel. Not good. I think I didn't have enough air in my front tire, plus I should've brought my Rhino front tire; I likely would have stayed upright 3 of those times. Short laps, we did 7 (leaders anyway-I did 6). I felt pretty good and really don't know where I placed; had to bolt because I needed to get back home and go to work. And with that in mind, why is it that the only time I get a beer hand up is when I have to work that day and have to politely decline? This was a really nice course an I'll make sure I do it as often as possible.