I started racing cyclo-cross in 2009. I was finishing in the last third of races for most of that first season. I think I ran my tubulars around 40psi for most of the year, and I fell down a lot. It took me a long time to have any form of success and I remember telling my dad once in that first year that "eventually my weekend will come, I just have to make sure I'm there so I don't miss it."
I've always enjoyed racing (except when I didn't) and have always taken it very seriously. I realized a while ago, though, that any success I have will be relatively small-scale. I learned I wouldn't be heading to Europe to drown in pig shit courses pretty quickly. But one goal that never escaped me was to upgrade to cat 2 and enter a few elite races. I've been digging away at the upgrade for years now, and finally got it at the end of last season. My first UCI race will be in DC in October.
It's been important to keep my expectations realistic. I know that I'm not going to win a national championship any time soon, and simply finishing on the lead lap of a UCI race would be a victory itself. The struggle has been, now that I've actually met my goal, how to stay focused and keep working to move forward. Having a category two racing license doesn't do me any good if I just frame it and hang it up, so I have to actually go race against people who are likely way faster than I am.
This mentality is been kind of self-defeating, but not so much that I'm ready to pack it in. I'm really looking forward to going out and racing more, even though I know that I'm probably going to get my teeth kicked in. The line between realistic expectations and optimism is pretty wide.
This past weekend was my first P1/2 race in Spartanburg, SC. Spartancross has opened my season countless times, and it was good to go back. I won the cat 3 state championship on this course in 2014, so I was happy being there again.
Lining up for the race reminded me of lining up for collegiate races a few years ago. There were a few faces I recognized from those events, and, as always in the SC upstate, a few fast roadie types. These are guys that race at a high level in all disciplines. I've worked really hard to race at the back of the pack in one discipline.
I started pretty conservatively. I probably could have raced some of the guys that were with me harder than I did. I could have challenged them for lines in turns and for a better position going into the barriers, but I played it safe and just focused on pedaling as hard as I could for an hour.
If my plan was to ride a hard solo time trial, I succeeded. I didn't really race against anyone after the second lap and I just tried to focus on going hard and smooth. I did finish on the lead lap, though, which is an improvement from the last time I raced at this level. The kid who won the race definitely used to lap me in collegiate races, so I'm chalking that up as a victory.
We'll keep pushing forward, and keep digging up motivation to continue working. I'm definitely feeling fit and strong and as long as I can stay consistent, I feel like I can race more competitively in the GACX series, and hopefully hold my own in the elite races.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Labor Day Vacation
My long weekend got especially long thanks to Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hermine. Campus closed Friday to prevent anyone from kayaking to the south side and that gave me the day off. Of course, a tropical storm and travel don't exactly go hand in hand, so Jen and I delayed our trip to Columbia until Saturday afternoon.
Saturday morning I went out to do my workout. I rode out to the trails expecting to see some carnage from the storm,but found myself surprised at exactly how bad it was. There were multiple large trees down, and derailleur hanger eating sticks and limbs all over the place. I spent some time trying to clear out some of the easier limbs, and finished my sprints in the grassy meadow.
The trip up 95 went off relatively flawlessly. Despite the storm affecting Columbia, there wasn't any debris on the roads on our way into town. We were expecting some delays on our route, but got there in a normal amount of time.
Of course, the storm meant that my normal riding spot at Harbison State Forest was closed, so I settled for the service gravel roads for my workouts.
The lollipop at the end of the service road made for a good 2x20 spot. Two laps of the loop basically got the intervals done. It wasn't quite the punchy workout I would have gotten on a cyclo-cross course, but the elevation change and a few extra twists and turns got the job done. This was one of those great rides where I was able to knock around for a little while during my warm up and do some exploring, but still get quality work in during the intervals.
Monday was a day of relaxing and exploring. We slept until we didn't, and took our time getting moving. I decided to use my recovery day to check in on some favorite spots around Columbia. The canal path was lively with walkers and runners, and Hermine's effects left the temperature and humidity relatively comfortable for once. I rode the canal into downtown, and scoped out campus. I miss being at Carolina, but I'm happy to get the chance to hangout where I am now.
The next time I head out of town, it probably won't be quite as relaxing. Just a little over a week until 'cross season kicks off. Between now and then it'll be all about dialing in the equipment and finishing my last minute set up. I huffed a bunch of acetone today, and once my Carogna Tape gets here, I'll be able to finish setting my tires up. I can do four wheelsets before next weekend, right?
Saturday morning I went out to do my workout. I rode out to the trails expecting to see some carnage from the storm,but found myself surprised at exactly how bad it was. There were multiple large trees down, and derailleur hanger eating sticks and limbs all over the place. I spent some time trying to clear out some of the easier limbs, and finished my sprints in the grassy meadow.
The trip up 95 went off relatively flawlessly. Despite the storm affecting Columbia, there wasn't any debris on the roads on our way into town. We were expecting some delays on our route, but got there in a normal amount of time.
Of course, the storm meant that my normal riding spot at Harbison State Forest was closed, so I settled for the service gravel roads for my workouts.
The lollipop at the end of the service road made for a good 2x20 spot. Two laps of the loop basically got the intervals done. It wasn't quite the punchy workout I would have gotten on a cyclo-cross course, but the elevation change and a few extra twists and turns got the job done. This was one of those great rides where I was able to knock around for a little while during my warm up and do some exploring, but still get quality work in during the intervals.
Monday was a day of relaxing and exploring. We slept until we didn't, and took our time getting moving. I decided to use my recovery day to check in on some favorite spots around Columbia. The canal path was lively with walkers and runners, and Hermine's effects left the temperature and humidity relatively comfortable for once. I rode the canal into downtown, and scoped out campus. I miss being at Carolina, but I'm happy to get the chance to hangout where I am now.
The next time I head out of town, it probably won't be quite as relaxing. Just a little over a week until 'cross season kicks off. Between now and then it'll be all about dialing in the equipment and finishing my last minute set up. I huffed a bunch of acetone today, and once my Carogna Tape gets here, I'll be able to finish setting my tires up. I can do four wheelsets before next weekend, right?
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