1/. Find a race.
2/. Turn up early and do a lap.
3/. Start the race and spend the first 20 minutes feeling really sick. Finish the race vowing never to even think about it again. This means you have the bug.
4/. Repeat most weekends 'till mid-January.
Exactly how I used to feel in the early 90s, initially rode my Pace Research, then I stopped for a few years (sold the cross bike I bought)
Started again in 2007, bought another cross-bile, felt the same way at each race till the end of 2009, then hung cross-bike up.
I might try the Seacroft Wheelers (Leeds) event at Temple Newsam (east Leeds) on 6th October, but the prices nowadays are a lot higher than they were!!! (sure it was about £6 when I last raced)
Now I have those same feelings (barring running a lap) at the Fell-Races I enter!!!!!
(but at least they're only about £5 to enter, even at National Championship round level!!,)