Chris Cross

Big shout out to Rich and Cow Town Cycling for putting on a great race! The course was well designed and challenging, registration was silky smooth, and staging/starting was organized and on time. What more can we racers ask for? Weather? That was covered, too, with overcast skies, temps in the 40’s and a light breeze. That’s not exactly October weather but it makes for great cross racing.

I once read an article that compared cyclocross starts to free throws in basketball. Make ‘em and win; miss em and, well…Today proved the adage true. For as good as I felt, I simply started too far back to be a contender. Call ups were based on order of registration, and since I didn’t pre-reg, I found myself sitting on the back row. I looked up across the field of Cat 3 racers and sighed. There were 30-ish riders ahead of me and several of them are scary fast. I decided it was the start or never and tried to take advantage of the up-hill section to try and “buy” a few places.

I got off to a good start and was able to move up several places before the first turn. But, movement up pretty much stopped as soon as we rounded the first corner and got onto the course. The lane was nice and wide but there seemed to be only one line through most sections. Single file ruled. I sat in through the corners and used the short hills to pass as many riders as I could.

I felt comfortable and confident during the first two laps. Then, at some point on the 3rd lap, it felt like all the wind was taken from my sails…or tires. It started with a glimpse of the leaders and the acknowledgement that they were out of reach. It soon moved to a nagging pain in my lower back and eventually manifest in me walking over a set of barriers. There’s nothing more humbling than wanting to jump and instead stepping. I got the message and throttled back my effort. Best I could tell I was sitting between 15th and 20th with a decent gap on the riders behind me.

I was able to hold off any riders until the brick section on the last lap. I realized I was done in a big way when I didn’t care that 3 riders came around me. I tried to hold the wheel of the first rider as he came around but the searing pain in my lower back triumphed. I pedaled up the hill and across the line, thankful that the race was over. I finished 20th and with a few more lessons learned.

Boss Cross #1

Sometimes, it just happens like that. Or, in this case like this:

• Start: not great, not bad. Clipped in with no problem and on the gas with the pack. I rounded the first corner sitting mid pack.
• Lap One, sand pit: rider in front of me washed out as he was leaving the pit. I avoided hitting him, but blew the corner. Two or three riders behind me went down. I spent the next 1/4 of the lap closing a small gap that opened.
• Lap One, twisty-turny section: I had just caught the pack and was hoping for few minutes to recover. Instead, two riders came together and both went down. Huge gap opened by the time I waded through the carnage.
• Laps Two – Four: just keep moving up. Got around 3 or 4 riders.
• Lap Four, gravel to grass: totally blew the corner. Busted through the tape twice and allowed 1 rider to pass me.
• Lap Five, run-up: TOE CRAMP! What a way to go. This section dropped downhill on concrete, then turned a hard 90 in loose sandy dirt before shooting back up the riverbank. I dabbed as I rounded the corner and stretched a little too far trying to reach the ground. That little move caused the middle toe on my right foot to cramp up. I thought I could ride through it but it never went away. It was still cramped and sticking straight up at the end of the race. Power was cut to almost zero…I struggled to hold position and just finish.
• Lap Six: ready for this to be over.

I haven’t seen results, but I think I finished around 8th. Not bad but also not as high as I wanted. Boss Cross #2 is tomorrow on the same course, only running the opposite direction. I thought about going but decided to skip it. I saw and felt a few things today that need attention. I’m not ready for racing two days in a row.

Swope Cross

Opening race of the 2009 CX racing season and I wasn’t there! I fought severe allergies all week, and decided this morning to skip the race. I joined the Bicycle Shack 101 Ride instead, if for nothing else than to confirm my decision. And, after only a few miles, I knew without a doubt that I shouldn’t be racing today. Just pedaling along at a comfortable pace felt like I was breathing through a straw. I rode 60 miles and felt OK, but definitely didn’t have race-pace in me.

Smells Like CX (+ Saturday’s Story)

I became a little anxious last week and laced up the knobbies…OH YEAH! I’m ready for cross season! I’m 3 weeks into a training program I put together to peak fitness (but not too much) for the start of the season. So far, results are great! But, I gotta start running…

I’ve been on several group rides since I started the training program and the results were noticeable almost immediately. I’m now able to sit in with the front group with relative [sic] ease.

Today was the weekly Bicycle 101 ride that leaves Longview Recreation Center. The damp roads kept most folks in, which was a shame because the weather was almost perfect. I say almost only because the wind was a nuisance out of the WNW. I didn’t count, but would guess there were around 20 folks on the ride.

The ride to Casey’s was E-Z, thanks to a tailwind most of the way out. The return ride stung a little bit, but that was short lived. By the time we reached County Line, the group was reduced to 5–Eric B., Kent W., Tim C., a Velotek rider (great to see a new kit on the ride!), and me. Someone, either Eric or Kent, I think, dropped the hammer as we headed west on County Line, dropping the Velotek rider. Then, Tim flatted. 5 was now 3. We hammered the first hill, sat in until the base of the last hill before the outer road, and then all hell broke loose. Kent set a sharp tempo up the the last tier, and then I buried myself with a little move. It was hard enough that my legs never really came back.

Eric turned for home, so Kent and I set into a crispy rotation, each pulling for about 45 seconds. That lasted until the neighborhood, and then we asked, “Why?” Between the wind and the fact that there was only two of us, there didn’t seem to be much reason in hammering all the way back. We dropped the pace to a solid tempo ride and rode in like that.

The second group on the road (Reggie, Steve’s dad, Velotek rider, and maybe one or two more) caught us near the damn. Kent and I picked up the pace to match their speed, and we all rode in together. Reggie technically got the “win” with a salty explosion on View High Dr. Hats off, Reggie!

Just to bring this make to the main subject…I’m counting the days until 9/17.