Race Report: Sac CX #3

After the early racing season fell apart due to my health, I really enjoyed a summer of riding without any purpose. I rode for the sake of riding, with no regard for speed or mileage or heart rate. It was nice. Unfortunately, riding without a purpose can leave one somewhat . . . fat.

When the scale tipped 170 late in the summer, the alarm bells went off. That's the number that usually freaks me out enough to get back to work. As fall came I started riding a bit more and stretching out the miles. The weight is slowly dropping, and I'm feeling better on the bike. Still, I am the type of person who needs a carrot to chase.

Yesterday the third race in the Sacramento Cyclocross Series was held right down the road in Folsom. I figured getting my ass handed to me in a race would be the motivation I needed to get serious about riding again.  Although I hadn't raced cross in a while, I wanted to give it a go.

I signed up for the race on Friday morning even though I am between cross bikes right now.  I threw together my old Miyata, which has been used mostly as an errand bike.  Because it was originally designed for 27" rims, I found I could run pretty big tires if I use 700c wheels and long-reach brakes.  I hoped it would get the job done.

The Sacramento series was a bit different when I left it in 2005.  Most of the venues were state parks around Folsom Lake—Granite Bay, Negro Bar, Dyke 8.  The courses were mostly dirt trails with a bit of asphalt.  Grass features were nearly non-existent.  On rare occasions when the turf showed up on a course, I complained.  I was always very slow on grass.

It seems the organizers have abandoned the state parks in favor of regional parks.  My assumption is the state parks simply became too expensive.

Yesterday's race was held at Lembi Park in Folsom.  Upon my arrival I was thrilled to see that the course had grass.  A lot of grass.  In fact it was almost all grass.  Slow, energy-sapping, soul-crushing grass.

Doug and I rode a warmup lap and arrived at the line only a couple minutes before the start, which meant we were at the back of our respective groups.  The 35+ B group took off and I was bringing up the rear.  It didn't matter, because even if I were at the front, most of them would have passed me anyway.

The 45+ Bs started a minute after us, and the leaders quickly caught me.  Not long after that, Doug caught me. I would have been really depressed about it had I not been fighting the urge to vomit.

Ex-Mercury pro Doug powers through the grass:

The course was pretty flat and slow (did I mention the grass?), and not very technical—nothing geared toward my cycling strengths. Some elevation change would have been nice.

My dismounts were a bit rusty, but on a slow course like this one it wasn't much of a disadvantage:

By the middle of the 45-minute race I had settled into a good pace, and I began to start picking people off.  Not a lot of people, but one here and there, enough to keep me motivated.

A photog managed to catch me looking somewhat coordinated.  Once.

At the end of lap three I was dismayed to see the lap card saying three more.  THREE more laps.

By the end of lap four I was slowing a bit.  After a quick drink I felt a bit better and started going after more riders.

My last lap was probably my best, but it was too little too late. I placed a disappointing 25th out of 36. Doug scored an impressive 11th out of 28 in his first cyclocross race.

In the end the 30-year-old bike did fine; it was the 43-year-old pilot that was holding the team back. My threaded headset did loosen up on me, which was pretty annoying.  The threadless headset is my favorite advancement in bike technology from when I first started racing.

Even though I didn't do well, I had a good time.  I plan on doing the next race.  I have nowhere to go but up.

Parting thought: When you're fit and fast, like Curtis, cyclocross is fun.

When you're fat and slow, it just hurts.

Later.

Race Report: 2007 Sacramento Cyclocross #5

Question: What is harder than racing cyclocross?

Answer: Racing cyclocross on a single speed.

Friday on the way home from work I suddenly had a thought pop into my head out of the blue: I wanted to race cyclocross on Saturday. The only problem I could see with the plan was the complete and utter lack of a cross bike.

So what to race? I could have raced the geared Karate Monkey, but it's just such a tank; nobody should have to carry that thing over a barrier. I considered changing the gearing on one of my single speeds and racing that. Then it occurred to me what would be the perfect bike for the Granite Bay course—my grocery store bike.



I figure my Miyata 210 hails from the 1970s. It's so old, it has no water bottle or shifter braze-ons. I had already converted the front end to a somewhat cyclocross configuration. I just needed to figure out how to get it shifting right; downtube shifting wasn't going to cut it. After thinking about all the work involved in changing out all the parts, I decided it would be easier to just strip the gears off.

So as I was driving I tried to figure out what would be a good single speed gear. A 2:1 on a mountain bike is everyone's starting point, but I figured it needed to be a higher ratio for cyclocross. I thought a 39x18 might be about right. I jumped off the freeway and hit the only bike shop on the way home, Bicycle Planet. They had a great selection of Surly cogs—everything except an 18. I grabbed a 17 instead.

Since it was payday, we went from the bike shop to Costco for our monthly shopping. As usual, the store was a complete zoo. After shopping, unloading, making dinner and eating, I wasn't in the mood for working on the bike. It would have to wait until morning.

The next morning I stripped off the rack, gears, etc. I borrowed the solid axle from a single speed and installed it in the rear wheel. I eyeballed a good chainline and put the 17t cog on there with a bunch of spacers I cannibalized from a spare cassette. I shortened up the chain, re-adjusted the brakes and installed the clipless pedals. I finished the bike about 20 minutes before I had to leave. Sweet.



I ran around the house grabbing what I needed, threw Spencer (and Jenn) in the truck, and headed out. We arrived at the race with 25 minutes to spare. I registered, dressed and hopped on the bike. The gearing felt a little tall. The seat was a bit low with clipless pedals. After a quick saddle height adjustment, I was ready to go.

I rode a bit of the course to get a feel for the bike, and did one set of barriers. It was the first dismount I had attempted in three years. It was not pretty. I rolled to the start line with four minutes to spare.

I was racing in the open single speed class, which means that any age or ability is welcome as long as you have one gear. Typically you have a couple guys who are A-level racers. We were racing with the 18-34 Bs and would do 45 minutes, which equated to five laps. There were seven single speeds and 18 Bs for a total of 25. Pretty low turnout, but probably typical. I think most cross racers are over 35 years old.

We took off and I was sitting in the top five. Blazing down a wide path three abreast, I was surprised how fast I could go with the 39x17 gearing. As the road funneled down to a right turn onto some singletrack, I let a number of people cut in rather than get tangled up in a crash. After about a half lap, I took a peek behind me to see nobody. Once again I was the last guy in the first group.

One of the single speed guys pulled away and was never seen again. He was very fast, and won the overall race. There was one other single speeder in front of me, and he too was quickly pulling away.

On the second lap four of us fell off the back of the lead group, and I would stay with this group, all geared racers, for the rest of the race. My barrier technique was as rusty as the bike I rode. There were two sets of barriers per lap. Every time we hit a set of barriers, I would lose ground to my three companions and have to chase back. My sloppy technique cost me a lot of time.



When we hit the line for the fourth lap there wasn't a soul behind me. I figured I had third place single speed locked up. My group was slowing and really holding me up in the singletrack, but I wasn't worried because I couldn't catch second place and there was a huge gap behind me. All I had to do was ride it out. Or so I thought.



Towards the end of the fourth lap, I looked back and a guy on a white bike was coming, and moving fast. Where the hell did he come from? As I neared the finish he got close enough that I could see he was rolling one gear. Damn! I put the hammer down and cursed my lackadaisical attitude. I should have been on the gas instead of sitting in.

Going through the barriers at the end of lap four, my group started playing cat-and-mouse to see who would lead up the long straightaway into the strong headwind. They had me boxed in, so I made a little bit of a reckless move to get between them. As I squeezed through, one of the guys punched me on the hip. I really wanted to tackle his ass, but I was more concerned with putting some distance between myself and the guy coming up behind me.



I dropped the geared group on the wide path, and the single speeder chasing me also got around them. He made up ground quickly and nipped me right before we turned onto the single track. I was right on his wheel when we hit a hill that was pretty tough the fifth time up, and he gapped me. I was on the verge of blowing up, so I backed off the throttle a bit. He quickly pulled away. Bye-bye podium finish.

Now the three musketeers were back, and I held them off as long as I could, but eventually all three went around me during the last lap. I let them go; they weren't in my class anyway, although I would have enjoyed beating the guy who punched me.

At the finish I was fourth in the single speed class, and 10th out of 25 overall. I was pleased with my effort, since I'm certain I was the oldest guy out there, and I hadn't raced cyclocross in three years.

Later.

Race Report: 2004 Sacramento Cyclocross #2

Race two took place at Negro Bar. This venue typically gives me problems, but the course they created had a bit more pavement and a little less grass than in the past. There was also significantly more singletrack, including a very steep chute to climb. On the first lap I made it up and gained significant time.

After that I had to run up like everyone else.

I loved the more technical nature of this course.

The run up the steep hill was pretty tough, but instead of dreading it every lap I embraced it. Every time I picked off at least one guy and moved up.

I worked as hard in this race as I ever have.

On the pavement sections where guys tend to let up, I went full blast. I picked up a couple places here too, and not one single person passed me.

In the end I took sixth place, and I must say I was a little surprised and disappointed. I turned myself inside out and really felt like I would place higher. It was an improvement from last week, but I'm not really satisfied.

I don't want to keep harping on it, but my fitness just isn't what it was last year. The only reason I could even grind out a sixth place was I was willing to go so far into the deepest, darkest depths of the pain cave.

Even riding and training and racing as little as I am is a burden on those around me. I am left wondering if it is all worth it just to race at an "OK" level.

Things to think about.

Later.

Race Report: 2004 Sacramento Cyclocross #1

In a perfect world there would be enough time for everything. You could work a full-time job, spend time with your family, take care of the house and yard, cook meals, shop and still train like an absolute madman.

We do not live in a perfect world. Instead I trained like a sensible adult with many responsibilities. In other words, not much.

I went into this cyclocross season knowing I was not as fit as the two previous years. I would take my lumps and try to have some fun. Try.

Unfortunately I have always had a difficult time enjoying the ritual of paying good money to simply ride around in circles knowing I was only pack fodder. A participant. A loser. 

No, battling for podium spots is what has always made racing fun for me. There are guys who can focus on the individual battle against the course, or take pride in improving their 15th place from the race before, but that ain't me.

One thing that would make it even harder this year was the fact that I aged six years since last year. In the 2003 season I raced in the 35+ B class, which has been the standard for quite a while. For some reason it was changed to 30+ Bs this season. At 37 years old this now put me squarely at the older end of the category.

Race one was held at Folsom Point, which is a good venue for me if you discount the fact that I broke my ribs there last November. However, I also had a second-place finish a month before that.

I got a pretty good start up the asphalt starting hill and hit the dirt in sixth. I held that for a while as the pack spread out quickly.

I pretty much rode the whole race by myself.

A few guys passed me along the way, but for the most part it was a solo ride.

I felt OK but not great. My body language as I crossed the line suggested I was glad to be finished.

In the end I took ninth place. Curtis and Will smoked me.

The guy who won, Roger Lackey, was unknown to me at the time. About two years later I would learn that he works with me at FTB and he is an elite endurance racer.

Later.

Race Report: 2003 Sacramento CX #8

What I hoped was simply some bruised ribs turned out to be much worse. A doctor friend told me that bruised ribs will get better every day while broken ribs will only get worse for about a week. I experienced the much worse scenario. Man, breaking those little bones really hurts.

After the crash last Saturday I rested for a couple days. I thought maybe I could get back out there on Tuesday. I attended our normal CX training ride with some of my Rio Strada teammates. It was a high-intensity ride that more closely resembled a mountain bike ride on CX bikes—rocks, mud, singletrack, and some steep, technical climbing. I hung tough because of my fitness right now, and my fresh legs because of the time off, but the pain was very intense. Pulling on the bars on steep climbs and running with the bike hurt like hell.

On Wednesday I was completely wrecked. It hurt to breathe, sit, walk, lie down, everything. There was no escaping the pain. That training ride was a really, really bad idea.

So I have these broken ribs. I tried to come back but could not. The last race was today and I was not there.

I really regret skipping race five now, since I have only five race results to everyone else's six. Grass Valley was a hilly course, like the ones I usually excel at. Just six points for a fifth place would have moved me up significantly.

Even so, a top 10 is cool all things considered.

Maybe next year.

Later.

Race Report: 2003 Sacramento CX #7

My race didn't go so well yesterday. I was involved in a pile-up right off the start and just couldn't continue. A guy landed on me and put his elbow right in my ribs and knocked the wind out of me.

It sucked. Still does, actually.

It was pretty much the fault of the organizers in my opinion. We were lined up for the start waiting for the whistle to go off when a couple people started moving early. That prompted about half the field to jump also. The rest of us assumed there would be a restart, but they just let them continue. Those of us who actually waited for the whistle that never came were screwed.

It really caused a panic in the field as we worked hard to pass as many people as we could up the first hill. Then came a short decent. On the next climb an idiot tried to pass by going off the trail, but then swerved back to avoid an overhanging tree branch and knocked another guy over who in turn knocked me over. That probably would have been OK, as we weren't going that fast, but then a couple more people piled into us, and one fell right on top of me elbow first. He was a really big guy.

I must say, it hurt pretty damn bad. He got me about an inch below my left nipple, and I felt my chest compress quite a bit. A couple people, including the guy who fell on me, said they heard something snap. I didn't hear it, but they may have been right because I do suspect I have a cracked rib or two.

Anyway, I rolled around on the ground for a few moments unable to breathe. No matter how many times that happens to you, each time you still wonder if you are ever going to breathe again. I did get up to continue, though, only to find my front wheel bent and my handlebars tilted down. Race over.

What sucks is if they hadn't blown the start I would have been up towards the front, or even leading like last time, which was my plan. It was such a huge advantage in race #3 to hit that first decent in front that I was determined to do it again this time. Oh well.

Today I am experiencing some uncomfortable soreness, and it hurts to take a deep breath. My breathing is clear, though, no rasping or rattling, and none of the pain is so sharp that I wince. I could go to the doctor, but even if there is a broken rib they won't do anything besides give my painkillers. 

I'll just take it easy today and watch some football.

I assume I will fall out of fourth place in the series, which is a bummer. I really felt I was going to do well yesterday during my warm-up. I had good legs. There is only one race left (in Vacaville next week). I think the best I can hope for is fifth in the series, which was the goal I set before the season started.  Still, I wanted more.

Later.

Race Report: 2003 Sacramento CX #6

I skipped race number five for a number of reasons. First and foremost, my son was born only two days before the race, and he played hard to get. It was a long, long labor and ultimately he had to come into this world via C-section. All is well, though.

Two, Grass Valley is quite a drive from my home. And three, we get to drop a couple races, so I thought it was no big deal to drop race five. In hindsight, just like last year, that wasn't a great decision.

Race six was again at Granite Bay. I rode a good but not great race. When it was clear I wasn't going to be a factor, I buried myself on the last road section into a fierce headwind to set up Gordon. We blasted by a couple guys on the last lap and he came off my wheel to coast in for fifth. I never recovered from that effort but managed to hold on for sixth and scored a few points for the overall.

I go way back with some of these guys. Dave Burke is a current Rio teammate, but we go back to the '80s with ABC (Anonymous Bike Club). Craig Petersen was also an ABC guy. Don Metzger rides single speeds with us old ABC guys, and he is also attending our Rio Strada training rides on cross bikes. He is strong and getting stronger each week.

Later.

Race Report: 2003 Sacramento CX #4

Race number four took place at Negro Bar. This course typically uses some grass. Like sand, it seems to be tougher for the skinny guys.

This was a pretty flat course with a bit of running and I struggled with it.

Truthfully this one is a bit of a blur. My mind was definitely elsewhere (we have a baby due in a few days) and I pretty much just rode in circles and suffered.

I ended up 10th, which was good for one whole point in the standings.

Later.

Race Report: 2003 Sacramento CX #3

Race three took place out at Folsom Point, a venue that I really like due to the hills. As luck would have it, I had my climbing legs, so I didn't even have to use my AK. I gotta say it was a good day.

The course was the hardest I have done yet: 1.4 miles, very hilly, rough, rocky and technical, with little running. All of this was to my advantage as a mountain biker.

After poor starts in my two previous races, I decided to make a point of getting out fast. We would start at the very bottom of the boat ramp and ride up the long asphalt climb before turning left onto dirt and going down a bit before continuing to climb more. I took a spot a few rows back from the front and waited for the gun. We started and within a few pedal strokes I found a gap and made my way towards the front. Suddenly there were only two guys in front of me. I thought, hell, I'm going to try getting to the corner first so I can go down the hill dust free. And within a few more strokes I was on the front. It seemed too easy. I looked behind me to see a gap. I figured, well, might as well grab the first lap prime.

We turned onto the dirt and I rode a strong but not hard tempo all the way to the finish where I did indeed grab the $10 prime. It kind of cost me on the next couple of laps, where a few guys passed me. I backed off the gas just a bit and kept going.

Lapping Gordon, who would DNF.

For a couple laps nothing really happened. I hovered around 6th to 8th place. I was cruising along in my own world, not really racing so much as riding.

As guys started getting tired they were crashing and making mistakes. I just tried to ride hard but under control, and I started reeling them in.

Doing a decent job on the barriers.

On the bell lap, I had two guys within striking distance, so I just put my head down and went after them. I caught them about halfway through the last lap, rested for a few seconds, and then attacked with everything I had up a hill. I got a five-second gap and held it all the way to the finish for second place.

My man Curtis took 11th.

The payday was not too bad. Along with the $10 prime, I was awarded a water bottle, arm warmers, leg warmers, socks and a nice bottle of locally produced olive oil.

With nine points for second, I am sitting at second overall behind Gordon and back in the thick of the series.

It's always nice to get a shout-out from a teammate:

Later.

Race Report: 2003 Sacramento CX #2

Granite Bay was again the venue for race number two, but this time on the north course. This typically entails a lot of riding and running through sand, which I suck at, and today had plenty of sand. And I unsurprisingly sucked.

Dismounts are not my strong suit and today there were many. Riding in sand is tough for me as a skinny guy, and we had that. Running is by far my weakest skill, and we had two different running sections in deep sand.

That's me in the lower left watching the big guys power away from me.

It was a struggle from start to finish. I couldn't get going, couldn't maintain momentum, and there were no hills to speak of for me to make up time. Every time I even began to feel strong there was another section of sand to run.

Here's Rio teammate Curtis also struggling.

In the end I took a very disappointing 13th place. Gordon again won while Alex took fourth. Curtis finished right behind me in 14th.

I have some work to do to get back in this series. We have a break in the schedule, so hopefully I can start peaking and work on my technique.

Later.

Race Report: 2003 Sacramento CX #1

Race number one of the 2003 series was a great one. The Granite Bay south course has been good to me, and today was no exception. My buddy Steve came out to watch and manned the camera. After the race he assured me that he took lots of "sweet pics," but this was the only one on the camera:

Sweet, indeed. Not sure what button he was pushing, but it obviously wasn't the shutter.

After taking second in the series last year in the Cs, behind Alex, this year we both moved up to the 35+ B class.

Race wise, I took off and hovered around second to fifth place most of the race, ultimately taking third at the end. Gordon won and Alex took sixth. It was nice to grab eight points right off the bat. Hoping for a solid race number two next week.

Later.

Race Report: 2002 Sacramento Cyclocross #7

Well, the final race of the Sacramento Cyclocross Series is in the books. I went into the race with the slimmest of one-point leads over Alex. With double points being awarded for the final, it made the assignment pretty damn simple: Win the race.

We duked it out for the entire race and left the rest of the field in the dust, putting almost a minute into Skyler in third place. I must say, we were flying. I attacked a number of times and so did he, but nothing stuck. We knew we were racing for the series overall, so we were riding our guts out.

On the last lap I turned onto the last section of asphalt, about 100 meters slightly uphill, and attacked from the front. I only gave it about 90% effort, and at the top he was still there. I knew then I made a huge tactical mistake. We were going 18 miles per hour up the hill, so he was definitely benefiting by being on my wheel while I maxed my heart rate. All he had to do was sit on my wheel through the next section of singletrack, which he did, and attack me on the fire road, which he did. All that was left after that was rough singletrack to the wider finishing straight. I tried to get under him by squaring off the last corner, but he knew I was going to try it and shut me down to the inside. We had a short 30 meter sprint for the line, and I just couldn't get all the way around him. He got me by a wheel. So close.

Second in the race, second in the series (37 points to 36). Being the bride's maid is a central theme in the story of my racing life. The only guy I had to beat stopped our hero once again. No trophy, no flowers, no glory.

Still, I am not too disappointed because I rode pretty much full blast and made no (physical) mistakes. I hit all the barriers really well, and at a higher speed than ever before. I may have even looked graceful doing so. Anyway, Alex beat me fair and square and I'm cool with it.

John gave us a shout-out in the final results, which was nice. Yes, I am definitely upgrading for next season. My transformation from clueless and clumsy newbie to veteran cyclocross racer is now complete.

Today will go down in my memories as a special day. One of my best racing days for sure. It was awesome to be part of two guys rising to the occasion and riding nearly perfect races. At almost every barrier we were side-by-side, really going for it, trying to gain just a few feet of advantage. I pushed myself to a new place, deep into the blackness of the pain cave. I've never given that kind of effort in a race before. But it was worth it. So very cool. I am bummed that the cyclocross season is winding down already. It went too fast. Damn, that was a fun series.

Later.

Race Report: 2002 Sacramento Cyclocross #6

Race number six occurred at Negro Bar on a course much less suited to my strengths. The grass, sand pit and the stairs were pretty tough for me. I am no runner. There is little doubt if I had been born in the ice age I would have been an easy meal for a saber-toothed cat.

The one saving grace was the long asphalt stretch towards the end of each lap. This is where most people were trying to recover, but I used it to gain time. Each lap I put it in the big ring and hammered my guts out, and each time I passed the guys who ran past me during the running sections.

I ended up third, sandwiched between Alex in second and Skyler in fourth. I am disappointed with the result from a points standpoint, but happy that I gritted it out on a course with features that I really struggled with.

Alex is now one point behind me in the standings. Basically I have to beat him next week in the final race. There are different points scenarios because the title is based on the best four finishes, but in no situation do I win the series if he should beat me by just one place. Even if we tie for the points, he would win because the last race is the tie breaker. Oh, the pressure. I will have to put a lot of emphasis on practicing dismounts this week because that is where he always gets me.

Later.

Race Report: 2002 Sacramento Cyclocross #5

I skipped race number four, which was held up in Grass Valley. I just didn't want to drive that far. Since only four of the seven races count towards the final points, I figured I could take the weekend off and save some gas money. Unfortunately, I learned from my Rio Strada teammates that the Grass Valley course was very hilly and technical. According to Curtis: "You would have killed it up there, dude!"

Oh well.

Race five was in Vacaville at Peña Adobe Regional Park. This was the district championships, which meant very little for us lowly C racers. There is no championship for us, but districts did bring out more racers for a bigger and stronger field to compete against.

I felt good about the race because I won a mountain bike race here back in the day. I hoped for a similar result in the hilly terrain.

The day was cold, damp and foggy. I don't usually do well in the cold, so I overdressed and warmed up longer than normal.

At the gun a guy named Mark Schlicting (far right) took off and we never saw him again. This race would be a battle for second place.

The course was up and down, mostly dirt, with a few dismounts, including a sadistic set of barriers running up a very steep hill.

I made it up the steepest hill every lap, but it hurt. A lot of people had to walk this one.

Eventually it ended up being a group of three: Me, Alex and Skyler.

Alex, AKA Yelling Guy, was a wheel sucker. It was only my fourth time racing with him, and I had never seen the back of his helmet. For over two full laps he was there. A couple times I flicked my elbow for him to come around and do some work, but he refused. It was clear I was his focus.

After checking my computer for elapsed time, I knew we would probably get the bell lap next time through the start-finish. There was a place coming up where we would exit the dirt and hit a sharp downhill turn on pavement. I would attempt a move there.

Because of the dampness, our tires were covered with dirt and sand, making the asphalt corner very slippery. I accelerated down the hill as long as I could and braked very late. I leaned into the turn as much as I dared and felt my tires breaking loose, but I let them continue in a somewhat controlled slide as I carved the turn.

As I exited I peeked back to see if I had created a gap, and I had. Alex had just entered the turn and was likely trying to match my speed. His tires broke loose and he went sliding across the road on his ass. Skyler also went down and followed Alex into the ditch.

Like any seasoned racer, I saw the chaos and accelerated. I went through the start-finish and indeed heard the bell ringing. Thankfully. Only one more time up that awful wall of a hill.

I gave it about 90% for the last lap, hoping to keep a little energy in reserve, and kept looking back to make sure Alex didn't catch me. Towards the end another guy did start catching up, and I gave it a little more gas to hold him off. I finished in second place, only four seconds in front of him.

It was cool to see my name on the VeloNews web site even if they did screw up my team name:

With nine points for finishing second, I maintained my lead in the series. Alex and Skyler got up off the deck, finishing fourth and fifth.

Later.

Race Report: 2002 Sacramento Cyclocross #3

I woke up with the flu today. A number of people were supposed to come watch me race, so I either had to start making a lot of phone calls or just go through with racing. If you know me, you know how much I absolutely love talking on the phone. I stayed in bed until the very last moment before I needed to make the decision.

I raced.

The nausea and pounding headache left me with little motivation to eat. I skipped breakfast and threw my gear together, barely making it to Granite Bay on time. I didn't even bother warming up. There was no point. I was only there to race for my friends and hopefully grab a point or two in the series standings.

We took off and with a little effort I entered the first turn about a third of the way back. Not a great place to be. On the first road section everyone was playing cat and mouse, so I went around our group to the front and led into the headwind. I powered into the wind surprisingly well for a skinny guy. Then three guys attacked me going into the singletrack. That's racing, but I wasn't in great spirits, and I took it personally. It pissed me off enough that I attacked the next three laps on the road section and got rid of one guy each time. No free rides. Guys tend to fold pretty easily when you gap them going into a headwind.

I ended up third, but it was a real struggle.

It's shaping up to be a battle between Alex (Yelling Guy), Skyler and myself. The Team City guys are all working together and the lone Rio Strada guy is alone on an island.

Note: When it says "field of 12," that's just my class. There are other classes starting with us, and that makes it difficult at times to know who you are racing against. But from here on out, I think it's safe to say that I simply try to beat Team City jerseys.

I really suffered like a dog today, but I fought hard to keep Alex and Skyler in sight and hold off the guys behind me. I will definitely take the eight points since I wasn't sure I would get any today.

Only Jennifer showed up to watch, so I didn't really have to worry about racing for the "fans." My computer coworkers and friends are flakey by nature. Jenn is the only one who matters anyway.

Even sick, I had fun. Cyclocross is cool like that.

Later.

Race Report: 2002 Sacramento Cyclocross #2

After struggling with cyclocross technique in my first race, it was clear I needed to work on my dismount. I went to a local park in the following days for a few practice sessions after work. Here I repeatedly dismounted and remounted, slowly becoming smoother and faster. Although the practice drills came at the expense of "real" training time, I felt like my fitness was adequate enough in the first race. No, it was the utter and complete lack of skill that hurt me. I came away from all the practice with a number of bumps and bruises; it's not easy to repeatedly jump off and back on a bike at high speed. However, my dismount improved significantly. I felt ready for my second cross race.

Like the week before, the race was held at Granite Bay, but on the "south course." This course was flat and fast with less sand, running and dismounts—all the things that gave me problems the week before.

My buddy Ed came out to watch me race. Depending on how a racer is wired, this can be good or bad. Some guys don't care for the pressure of racing in front of friends or family. For me, it's always provided a big psychological boost, especially in multi-lap races. Every time I pass by a familiar face or hear my name, I always feel a surge of power. It's no coincidence that most of my good results have occurred when someone accompanied me to a race.

Even more important than the boost a friend or loved one can give you on a good day is the effect their presence can have on a bad day. During those horrible races when you are dying out there, when you may feel like quitting on yourself, you can still find the motivation to race for them. After all, they made the trip out to see you, so the least you can do is put on a good show. Even as a lowly amateur racer this is your job and your duty. Nobody wants to watch a half-assed effort from you.

I dressed and went out for a warm-up. I felt good. Really good. As the Euros say, "I had good sensations in the legs."

Feeling good after my warm-up laps.

Whenever I feel like Superman before a race it makes me feel a little uneasy. I start wondering if what I am feeling is real. Questions bounce around in my head. Do my legs feel good because I didn't ride much during the week? Did I lose fitness? When the race starts will everyone ride away from me?

Confidence is a constant battle for a bike racer because racing is such a crap shoot. You can have absolutely perfect preparation leading up to a race and still feel like crap on race day. Conversely, you can come into a race undertrained, sleep deprived and hungry and have a great day. Because of this there is always nervousness before a race. As racers we never know what we are going to pull from the big box of chocolates.

As I rode up to the starting line, I saw many of the same guys from the week before. I made note of the racers who beat me the previous week. I lined up in the second row behind a guy who I knew started fast. When the gun went off, he jumped quickly ahead and I was right on his wheel. We exited the first corner 1-2 and powered away on the first straightaway. Coming into the first set of barriers I decided to see how much good all the pracice did for me. I braked late, hopped off, ran hard through the barriers, and passed the guy as I slipped smoothly back onto the bike. I felt pretty good about the dismount. All I needed to do was nail nine more barriers and I was home free.

My reign at the front of the race was short-lived. Near the end of the first lap a skinny little guy passed me. It really pissed me off. How the hell did this 90 pound guy catch me? And why was he pulling away?

I chased that guy for the rest of the race. I gave it everything I had because I wanted to win, and the win was so tantalizingly close. He dangled up in front of me, a shimmering phantom seen through eyes floating in vast pools of lactic acid. Each time I closed to within a few feet, he would look back and put in a big effort to gap me.

Chasing hard.

What I didn't realize, because of my battle at the front, was how much damage we were inflicting on the field. We were leading by MINUTES by the end.

Charging through lapped traffic.

On the last set of barriers, on the last lap, I made one last attempt to pass. I mistimed the dismount, though, and clipped the first barrier with my foot. I fell hard and slammed into the second barrier.

Through the dust I watched the win fade into the distance. I would have to settle for second. I stood up and assessed the damage to bike and body—nothing but a little torn handlebar tape and flesh. The huge gap back to third place allowed me to ride easy and limp in to the finish.

After posing for a quick post-race picture, I made my way to the truck and cleaned up.

After changing clothes, I rode over toward a van on which they were posting results. As I approached, Ed informed me that the guy I was chasing was only a junior and that I had won my class.

Wait, what? I won?

In the weeks to follow I would learn the junior racer who beat me was no ordinary kid. Adam Switters was, in fact, a young star in the making. The next year he would race on the U.S. Junior National team in the World Championships.

With the maximum points for the win, I took the lead in the series. Yelling Guy, whose name I learned was Alex, took a disappointing 8th place.

Later.