Woodchuck holes are not the cyclocrosser’s friend.
Yesterday I went over to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley to race at the inaugural Luray Caverns CX race. I was pretty excited because not only am I on some great form, but they even had a 35+ Cat 4 race, which I figured I’d have a pretty good shot at winning. (more…)
Hitting the dirt after the road seas0n ends is a sure formula for reigniting those competitive fires.
Having done my first cross race of the season this past weekend, I was reminded yet again how much fun you can have killing yourself for 45′ riding circuits in the dirt.
I’ve pasted a copy of my race report from the Bryan Park cross race below. I’d love to hear from others about how their cross seasons are going. (more…)
I raced the Superior Cyclocross race up in Cathaprin VA on Saturday, and had, for me, a pretty good race. I was able to snag a spot on the second row at the line and was determined to have a strong start. At first, it didn’t look good as my wheel was between two other riders and I was completely boxed in. I managed to get out some sort of inarticulate grunt that may have been taken for “in between,” but in any event the rider to my left moved over just enough and I shot through, managing to be 5th wheel going into the dirt.
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I finally did a “real” race this past weekend. The first in nearly two months, which given my general schedule of racing nearly every weekend while living in Chicago was quite a break. Being November, it was a ‘cross race, a discipline I both love and loathe. When I did my first cross race, may be four years ago, I loved it with all the passion a neophyte has. The sheer novelty of it made me excited to be racing in a way I hadn’t been in years. Of course, all that enthusiasm didn’t translate into results, and I counted it a victory that season if I didn’t get lapped after the first few laps. Fast forward four years, and well, things haven’t changed all that much. In Sunday’s race the top 9 guys lapped me, ninth place catching me in the finishing straight.
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