This is a cyclo-cross blog, let's talk cyclo-cross racing.
First things first: My soundtrack for the travel, suffering, heartbreak and successes of this season well be The Pogue's Muirshin Durkin
On to the bike racing:
Today I took off an hour early from work (crazy idea since I only work 15-19 hours a week) to head up to Travelers Rest, SC for the first of a series of training races they're hosting. The race/practice was announced super late, but I'm into supporting the growth of 'cross in this state, and it was cheaper than going to Fletcher, NC as planned.
The course was favorable. Started downhill, transitioned from a sweeping left hand turn to a drop off of a curb. A few yards after dropping onto the pavement you had to hop the other curb to get back to the grass. A nice smooth S curve that went from an uphill to a long off camber. The turn after the off camber had a fence on the inside, roots going into it and rocks coming out, it was super tight and an issue for me all night. A long thick grassy section to a U-turn, to the barriers to the start finish. WHOO, just going through it made me tired again.
The laps were short, maybe 5 minutes. Which meant a lot of repetition of the hopping, climbing, bumps and barriers. Which is cool, it is a training race after all.
Small turn out, but a great crowd... make sense? The environment was hospitable, welcoming and overall easy going. Beers before the race (New Belgium Hoptober)? Prizes and primes at a training race? I approve.
The first race, the B Race, was set to be 20 minutes+2 laps. It had a Le Mans start. I was confused and didn't want anything to do with it. After deciding that I wasn't running to my bike, and that I didn't want to be in, or cause, a melee at the curb bunny hop, I took my time and made up ground later.
I immediately found myself in the second group. There were three of us, two former (?) road pros were up the road (grass?) ahead of us, and clearly weren't being brought back.
The race was hard, I liked the group I was with. They were good and challenged me, really made me work for the race. Which is exactly what I wanted. We went after each other a good bit and I remembered how hard cyclo-cross was. My arms were sore. That's not supposed to happen on a bike ride.
Anyway, coming to the last lap I was gapped just a little bit. Going into the pavement/bunny hop section I botched a shift, botched the bunny hop and lost the group. They were still within sight and I thought I could bring them back, but I just didn't have it in me.
The second race had a traditional start. I was about mid pack and again settled into the second, although smaller, group and started to work. I didn't feel like I was going to explode, and that was killer. The U turn at the end of the thick grass section made hell for me. And the "fence corner," the tight one with the roots and rocks, wasn't much easier. I was on the tape there pretty much every lap and had to absolutely step on it to get back up to speed. But, all things considered, that felt much better this year than it did last year.
Somehow or another my little group of two ended up on the front of the race. One of the fast guys, Andy, had a pedal issue. The other fast guy went to his car to get a tool. I guess that makes more sense than us catching and passing them. So, there was a SRAM hat on the line for a prime. I turned myself inside out and got a little bit of room. About half way around the lap I had to choke down my own vomit... twice. Won the hat, pulled out of the race. It was a training race, and my second of the night, so I wasn't that upset about not finishing.
Sooooo... My second race start wasn't horrible. I would have liked to have gotten the hole shot, or been closer to it, but I was only 5th or 6th on the start and once I got the diesel warmed up, I was exactly where I wanted to be. Plus, the downhill start going into the pavement section wasn't exactly the most welcoming thing. There were a few sections where I felt like the most amazing thing to ever throw a leg over a bike. There were a few sections where I felt retarded. Mostly the previously mentioned fence corner and grassy U-turn. Either way, I felt quick and smooth for most of the course.
I think a different course may have suited me better. More running, some wetness and some cold. But it was a good experience, and I still feel really good about where I stand going into the season in 3.5 weeks.
I hope I can make more of these races. It's hard to justify driving two hours and taking off work for a training race. But I'm excited to see what kind of craziness they can come up with, with other course layouts and bigger crowds. This has potential to be huge, and word on the street is there's a 'real' race coming in October. Plus, racing under the lights in November? I'm giddy with excitement.
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