Here are some sentences I would love never to hear uttered at a race again:
“Oh, I’m not racing today because I’m not in shape.”
“I’m so out of shape, this race is going to suck!!”
“I’m taking the season off because I need to train more/lose weight/get in shape.”
First and foremost, guess what? This race is going to suck no matter how “in shape” you are. That’s the secret of cross (and racing in general)- it always hurts.
Second, the phrase “in shape” is total nonsense. What does “in shape” even mean? Every body has a shape. There are literally no bodies that have no shape.
When we use the phrase “in shape”, it implies that there’s a certain shape a body should be in before it can participate in a sport- and if one does not achieve that desired shape, they cannot be in the sport. And for those who have a body shape that is no one’s “ideal” shape for participating in sports, that phrase can feel alienating.
Why do we feel like we have to be a certain way, look a certain way, be at a certain level, have certain clothes/bikes/shoes/etc, before we feel worthy to line up on that starting line? Why are we so hard on ourselves? The beauty of cross is that it’s very accessible for anyone at any level- any fitness level, any skill level. I don’t do any other sports, so I can’t say what other sports exists like cross, but I think it’s one of the things that make cross so special and why I love it so much.
Let’s accept our bodies for how they are NOW, not how we want them to be. Many of us are finding cross in our “later” years and aren’t the athletes we used to be- or maybe never were! The truth of aging is things change and bodies change and life happens. We’ll probably never have the same body or energy or fitness we did when we were younger, but that doesn’t mean our bodies aren’t still amazing!! Don’t let the idea that you need to look/feel/bike a certain way keep you away from the starting line.
If you want to skip a weekend of racing because you’re not feeling it- go for it! Sometimes you’re just not in the right headspace to enjoy racing and that’s okay. But be kind to yourself in the process – say “I’m not into racing today, but I’ll see how I feel next week and give it a try.” Let’s avoid writing off an entire season because you aren’t quite where you want to be physically right now.
While I think phrases like those mentioned above are unhelpful at best and harmful at worst, if one absolutely must make a comment, let’s change up the narrative. Better things to say would be:
“I’m not at the fitness level I wish I was.”
“I haven’t been training much this season.”
“My body isn’t as strong as I want it to be, but it’s still STRONG!”
Cross has taught me the value of being kind to myself. That’s what this whole post is really about. A plea for all of us to show compassion to ourselves, to be kind to ourselves. I don’t like hearing those phrases mentioned above because hearing those phrases make me SAD. They are an indication that the person saying them doesn’t practice kindness towards their own body and self. Through cross I’ve learned how to celebrate the small personal successes and accept what my body can do, rather than what it can’t. And I just want everyone to do the same. It’s a journey, but it has to start somewhere and why not here, in the starting grid of a cross race?
Last year I wrote a series of “Cyclocross and You” posts, aimed at people interested in getting into the sport but not sure where to start.
For ease of access, I wanted to collate all those articles in one place. So, for your reading pleasure, here all the articles I wrote about getting into ‘cross!
Those of you racing cross this season: let’s make a pledge this season. Let’s make a pledge not to sandbag ourselves, underestimate ourselves, or downplay our abilities.
In my 4 years of racing cross, my eyes have really been opened to how often the folx I race with lower the bar for themselves while getting ready for a race (myself included!).
“Oh, I’m going to line up in the back because that’s where I’ll be the whole race.”
While this behavior is most prevalent at the start line and in the hours before a race, I hear it all the time in practices, clinics, at any bike related activity. I didn’t even realize I was doing it myself until I heard it over and over again from the women I raced with – and it started to annoy me!
“Okay everyone! I’ll try to stay out of your way when you’re passing me, because I’m really slow!”
It first annoyed me because as someone who is statistically most likely to be in the bottom 2 spots, I was irritated by these women talking about being last and then smoking me in the race.
“What’s the prize for DFL, because that’s the only prize I’m winning!”
But then I was bothered by it once I probed a little deeper into why women might be making these statements.
“Oh, I’m just using the race for training so you all are going to beat me.”
Once I started examining my own emotions at the start of a race and analyzing the rationale behind why we might make these kinds of statements, I came up with two theories:
A need to lower expectations so we don’t disappoint anyone/ourselves;
Basic race jitters and a true fear of coming in last and being embarrassed.
“Don’t worry about being slow, because I’ll definitely be slower than you.”
I’m finding this kind of talk more and more damaging. And while I can forgive folx for this kind of talk, as I understand they are speaking from a place of insecurity and nervousness, I can’t excuse it or let it go unchecked anymore. When you talk like that, you are only hurting yourselves – if you go into a race with a negative mindset, how are you going to have the best race possible?? How does saying things like that make you a stronger person? It doesn’t help you OR anyone around you to talk like that.
All of this is to say, let’s make a pledge this season to cut that negative self talk crap out!
It has been empowering and eye opening and exciting to watch so many folx beat their fears and try ‘cross racing. I know you are so much stronger and capable than many of you think you are and it kills me to hear you talk down about yourself before a race. If we’re always being negative about ourselves, how expect others to be positive for us? Own who you are and what you’re capable of. Own your nervousness and the goals you’ve set for yourself! Instead of negative self talk, let’s try saying these things instead before a race:
“I’m racing for myself and I’m excited to see if I can accomplish my goals!”
“I’m feeling anxious about how much racing is going to hurt!”
“I feel slow today, but I’m going to give it my best shot.”
“I’m so nervous about the technical parts of this course! It’s so challenging and I wonder how often I’m going to have to get off my bike.”
“Racing makes me so tense I either want to throw up or poop. Maybe both.”
Pick a goal, like trying to do a proper remount every time, trying out the scary feature at least once, or catching one person ahead of you and focus on THAT instead of worrying about letting others or yourself down. If you give it your best shot, you won’t let anyone down and you’ll feel awesome about your effort, no matter where you finish!
(While this post might seem obscenely long, it has everything you could want: a thrilling race report, beautiful views, an objective review of the race organization, AND personal introspection!)
It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden 50 miles, let alone raced 50 miles. Not to mention I’ve done exactly 2 gravel rides in my life. But a few weekends ago I raced 50 gravel miles at the Croatan Buck Fifty race. It had been awhile since I’d had a real bike challenge to train for (outside of cross) and as the new year started, I felt motivated to find something to aim for. My friend Casey suggested the Croatan Buck Fifty, which is a new race down in North Carolina put on by Ridge Supply. It’s a gravel race in the Croatan National Forest, and consisted of a 50 mile out and back lap, which you could ride 1, 2 or 3 times – 50, 100, or 150 miles respectively. I was initially too intimidated to try 50 miles as my first race “back” after years away from endurance riding. But, flat course + the presence of friends + lap race = enough bravery to sign up.
In the months and weeks leading up the race, I vacillated between excitement at the challenge and serious anxiety and self-doubt. Shockingly, I’ve come to enjoy the thought of a bike challenge, as I get perverse pleasure out of wondering how much it will hurt and if/when I’ll break down. But every bike challenge – especially races were the expectation is to go fast and compete for a podium – comes with a lot of self-doubt. I do not fit in the typical demographic for races, as I’m fat and slow. I worry most about judgement and pity – *I* don’t care much that I’m fat and slow, but I can’t help but wonder what others think. Then we got some emails that mentioned “peloton” and “motor pacing” and I got even MORE anxious, as I worried my slow pace would mean I would be dropped like a hot potato and constantly passed by faster riders. To help calm my fears, I reminded myself that I have just as much right to be out there as anyone and that if someone judges me for how I look, that’s THEIR problem, not mine.
However, in spite of my anxiety, I was looking forward to a long weekend to enjoy my friends, bikes, and beaches. My friend Samantha and I drove down Thursday afternoon and about halfway there a car passed us with Dirty Kanza 200 car sticker and a bike that had handlebar tape that looked suspiciously like Casey’s bar tape that actually was Casey. So the three of us rode down in tandem and once arrived, had some delicious homemade pizza and some leftover cider we found in the fridge.
Friday’s weather was perfect, and became sweeter once we realized there was snow in the DC area! There was a pre-ride Friday afternoon, which we had planned to do, but first we had to drink some cider/beer we found in the fridge, go to the grocery store, drink some wine, find some oysters, get a crab cake sandwich, eat ice cream cake, sit in the sun, and go to the beach and then there was no time for a pre-ride. #priorities
To The Shops! (Photo courtesy of Casey Bailey)
Ice Cream Cake!
Beach Time!
Friday evening, after going to the pre-race briefing at the Carteret Speedway (the start/finish line of the race), there was a mad rush at our house to get our pasta dinner assembled and get all our gear together for the next day. After a semi-chaotic dinner, and last minute prep, we all had an early bedtime.
When we arrived at the Speedway Saturday morning, I realized I had grossly underestimated the still-winter weather of North Carolina. Up in DC, it was still straight winter, but I had been lulled by the sun and warmer weather of the previous day. I assumed it would quickly warm up that morning and only brought my arm warmers with me to the track – even though I had all the winter gear back at the house. I knew I would warm up eventually, between the sun and my exertions, but it was damn cold at the start line with bare legs! Until about 9:30, it was a very cold ride, with frozen toes.
Leading up the race, my training mostly consisted of riding longer and longer distances over a series of weekends. I knew the only person I’d really be racing is myself, as there was no question I’d struggle at 50 miles in the saddle. The longest distance I rode during training was 40 miles on the C&O Canal the weekend before, which is a flat gravel trail that runs next to the C&O Canal in Maryland, and seemed like the best approximation of race conditions that I could get in the area. That was a shockingly tough ride – it was hard on the body to stay in the same position on the bike for so long, both my arms and undercarriage suffered from the flat and bumpy terrain, and mentally it was tough to keep going. Based on that last training ride, my goal was to keep at 13-14 mph pace as much as could and finish hopefully in the 4 to 5 hour range.
The Long and the Flat of it
The “neutral roll out” went well and it was fun to ride with so many people. Once the race started in earnest, I was pretty quickly on my own. I would get passed periodically by people who would be with me for 5 or 10 minutes and I could usually see a person or two up ahead, but I was basically on my own for the first 10 miles. I didn’t mind – it was beautiful and I like going at my own pace. By mile 16, I was riding generally with a group of women who all seemed to be going about the same pace. We would usually chat for a bit, say hi, someone would ride faster for a bit, I’d catch up, etc, and it was nice to have some casual company. But about 75% of the time I was by myself and enjoying it. I was doing so well maintaining my 13-14 mph pace and feeling very proud of myself! At mile 18, the lead group finally caught us going the opposite direction so we knew we’d have to be aware of traffic coming towards us. Once I had been “lapped” it was actually kind of fun, as my friends who are faster than me (all of them!) were now periodically passing me going the other direction! Every time a Bikenetic team member would pass (even if I didn’t know them personally!) I would shout “HI!”. It was energizing to see my friends and helped keep it from being too boring (it also made me seem very popular with whoever I was riding with at the time!).
During happier riding times
I had been feeling pretty good up to this point, but 18 miles of non-stop riding at an aggressive pace was starting to wear on me and I was really looking forward to the turnaround rest stop at mile 23. At mile 20, I rounded a slight bend in the road and saw before me the whitest, flattest, straightest section of road so far and knew these last 3 miles to the turnaround were going to be brutal. This would be the first of three really (mentally and physically) tough sections.
Toughest: Straightest
I decided the best way to tackle this section was to put my head down and power through. Instead of a 13-14 mph goal, I was now aiming for a 15-16 mph goal. Based on Strava I met that goal, and based on what I remember of the suffering, I’m glad to know it wasn’t wasted.
At the turnaround point, I didn’t stop long. I stretched, used the bathroom (which was the most vile bathroom I’ve ever been in my LIFE), ate some GORMP, got some electrolytes for my water, and pressed on. I left with the same group of women I had been riding with at the beginning of the long-straight-flat section and stuck with them for a little while, but needed to ride my own pace and left them.
I soon hit the “infamous” Savage Road, the 2nd tough section. This is a stretch of un-maintained roads, full of huge craters full of water – nasty looking water. The water could be 3 inches deep or 3 feet and I was not interested in finding out! There was a line ridden in by previous riders, tracing a path around the craters. But some of those lines were very narrow and/or right on the edge of giant crater. It was here I was so thankful for that 1 and a half seasons of cross I had under my belt. I never would have felt confident enough to navigate some of the trickier lines without the bike handling skills I’d picked up in cross. Another unexpected challenge of this road was the uneven surface between the crater sections. It was hard packed, uneven dirt and because I had slightly too much air in my tires, I was being thrown around, bouncing all over. This was hell on my undercarriage and it made the section miserable. Between the rough road and the craters, I couldn’t keep any speed which made this 3 mile section feel like an eternity!
You are now entering… (Photo courtesy of Casey Bailey)
Looks deceptively easy…
Savage Road crater (not even the worst of it!)
It was a relief to leave that section behind for the “smoother” gravel roads! Once I exited Savage Road, I immediately stopped and took a break – I really just needed to unclench my body from the bike and give my lady-bits a reprieve from the saddle!
At around mile 35, the course was on pavement for a bit. Once back on pavement, I realized how mental exhausting it is to ride on gravel. You can’t let your mind wander, you always need to be paying attention to road conditions, on the look out for potholes, patches of loose gravel, other obstacles. It was a relief to let my mind go blank for a bit while riding on the pavement.
I could feel myself starting to fade and when I turned back onto the gravel around mile 37, I was able to keep up a good 13-14 mph pace for only a mile or two. After that, I struggled to keep above 10 mph! I was losing energy and power. Just in time for the last truly rough section, yay. On the way out, I had noticed a sandy-ish section, but didn’t take much notice of it. On the way back, I marveled at how I managed to forget this section because it was now torture. It had become a packed sandy road, bumpy and unforgiving. The road was either packed, bumpy sand or loose, shifty sand. I couldn’t relax for a minute and my undercarriage was taking a beating.
Will it never end??
Toughest: Sandiest
In hindsight, I should have stopped and let out a little air, but I was too addled at the time to think straight. This sandy section was only 2 miles long but those 2 miles almost broke me. I had only stopped twice the previous 40 miles, but in this 2 mile stretch, I had to stop twice, plus once after I finished the section. I’m sure part of the problem was I hadn’t eaten or drank enough, but, it was also 40 miles into the longest, hardest ride I’d done in years.
I am broken, Snickers save me
One coping strategy I came up with to help get through the miles was to count the route in 10 mile sections. Ten miles seemed reasonable and I bike 10 miles all the time. So I hoped I could trick myself into riding 50 miles with less pain. And it had worked pretty well so far! But I had never seen the mileage tick over so slowly as those last 10 miles. I was counting down every hundredth of a mile. Even after I left the sandy section (which was only 2 miles!), it felt like I was moving through molasses and every pedal turn was a challenge. I had planned to finish without stopping again, but I had to stop at mile 45, to cry a little, eat a snack, and convince myself to finish!
Thankfully, about 1 mile later, the course switched back to pavement, which helped a bit as I knew I was so close and I could turn off my brain a bit for awhile. The last few miles went without incident and I finished with much rejoicing 3 hours and 39 minutes after I started!
The homestretch on the track (Photo courtsey of Natasha Calderwood)
On every level, the race didn’t disappoint. It was a great course, tough and challenging, and best of all, pancake flat! You could feel the excitement and enthusiasm of the organizers and the volunteers. And the FOOD! Entry included lunch/dinner and I was worried it would consist of tired looking spaghetti and congealed potatoes, that had been sitting out too long, with crumbs left for those who finished later in the day. I’ve never been happier to be wrong! The food was delicious and thoughtful – there were potatoes, veggies, and marinara sauce for the vegetarians, plus chicken and meat sauce for those who eat meat. Plus THE COOKIES! I engaged in an unofficial eat-off with Robin to see who could eat more of their amazing chocolate caramel and apple pie/spice cookies. And the best part was that they spaced the food out enough so there was fresh trays and cookies throughout the day – everyone had a chance to eat hot, fresh food.
Ridge Supply is a pretty hip company and I was worried the race and organizers would be full of “bros”, unlikely to welcome someone who looks like me or other newbies to racing/riding. But I following along on the Facebook event page, I was pleasantly surprised at how thoughtful and thorough the organizers answered questions that were both obvious and technical. I asked a question that I realized was obvious/stupid once I did about 5 minutes of research, but they answered it politely and without snark! It’s surprising how something as little as that can act as reassurance. I would not hesitate to recommend this race to someone who felt unsure about their racing abilities.
This race ended up meaning more to me than I could have expected. I felt so much pride after finishing so far under my goal time, so grateful for the confidence bike handling skills from cross gave me, so soul-happy to be experiencing this with so many good friends.
After I became disenchanted with bike commuting, discouraged by saddle pain, bored with the social rides, grudgingly accepting of my love/hate relationship with cross racing,
I did it, I’m amazing
I was worried cycling didn’t have any more highs for me. While I still love racing cross, it’s a very different experience because, honestly, I don’t enjoy the racing – being slow is often discouraging, and it hurts a lot. I do feel pride after finishing a race, mostly because I didn’t quit even when I really, really wanted to – but I don’t really enjoy it. Cycling hadn’t given me any real highs for awhile and I fully expected this race to feel like a cross race – a mostly miserable experience I slogged through, mostly proud I didn’t quit. But…it wasn’t! Not at all. I even, dare I say, enjoyed myself on the race! It was truly gorgeous out there and I enjoyed both the scenery and pushing myself. I think the very flat course was mostly responsible for my enjoyment. I was able to “wrap” myself in the pain and focus on my rhythm. When it’s a consistent pain, I’m able to move it to the background a bit. I suspect this is why I struggle with cross – the pain is always shifting because the course is changing and it’s harder to ignore the pain.
It was also deeply satisfying to set a goal and hit it. I rarely race with goals in mind, partly because I’ve never had a way to measure how I was during while racing, and partly because setting goals means potentially failing and who likes that?? This was the first race where I used a computer to track distance and speed, which allowed me to set some goals to track while racing. I sort-of-not-really-on-purpose overestimated my
The final verdict
finishing time as, even for me, 5 hours to finish 50 miles is pretty attainable, as I had done my last 40 ride on terrain that was close to the race terrain in about 4 hours. And honestly, I secretly thought I could finish 50 miles in 4 hours in a race situation where I was pushing myself with minimal stopping. And had I actually done any math, I would have realized that at a 13-14 mph pace, I would definitely hit a 4 hour goal, and even be under that goal (math is clearly not a #priority for me). But I didn’t want to jinx myself! But I didn’t want to publicly state I could do it in 4 and miss that by a mile – that felt like a disappoint I couldn’t bear. So, I gave myself a laughably attainable goal and having a computer was a shockingly good motivator! Seeing my speed was an especially good motivator. I loved hitting that goal MPH and found myself digging deep when I wasn’t hitting it.
This “win” affected me in ways I didn’t expect. Going to work Monday, I had this happy secret inside of me – all my fellow commuters didn’t know I was capable of riding 50 miles and beating my goal time! It made me feel special! Then, when I went to the Crosshairs Garage Races on Wednesday (a race series that takes place in a parking garage!), I guess the magic of Croatan 150 was still inside of me and I crushed the race. I was corning like a master and even lapping people – which I’ve NEVER done! I ended up with 16th place (out of 24!) and felt on top of the world. I know I won’t always have bike successes like I had in March, but now that I have a taste of what success (for me) is like, I think I’ll be chasing more personal wins in the future!
ON FIRE! (photo credit: Bruce Buckley)
I still worry about how I’m perceived and if people are judging me by how I look. But I’m starting to realize it doesn’t matter what people, it just matters how I feel. And if I feel fast, or like a badass, or a racer, then that’s what I am!
You’ve done the prep: got the bike, practiced the skills, and actually signed up for a race! But, how do you get ready for race day? And what do you need to do once you get to the course? Race day does take some prep, and navigating the registration table can be a bit daunting if you’ve never done it before, but it quickly becomes routine.
To make the day before easier/faster, I suggest creating a pre-race checklist, which has all the essential gear and bike readiness laid out. If you can have a dedicated ‘cross bag, even better! If you don’t even have to think about what to pack/prepare, then you’ll be ready in record time and be able to sleep soundly knowing you didn’t forget anything!
Cyclocross can seem intimidating, what with all the jumping on and off the bike, navigating uneven terrain, etc. But with practice and some on-course experience, you can become comfortable tackling any course. There are a lot of ‘cross-specific skills to learn that you will continue to work on and refine as you keep racing.
This post will give you an overview of some of the core cyclocross skills and which of those skills you may want to work on first as you’re getting into racing.
Cross Skillz
What skills do I need to learn?
There are a number of skills that are unique to cyclocross racing:
Dismounting (getting off your bike at speed).
Remounting (getting back on your bike at speed).
Running over barriers (planks mounted in pairs).
Riding off-camber (riding perpendicular on a steep hill or slope).
Riding in sand.
Carrying/shouldering your bike.
There are also a number of skills that you might not think of as being unique to cyclocross, but in fact they are among some of the most fundamental to the sport:
Cornering.
Climbing and descending (on particularly loose or steep terrain).
I’m not sure why I signed up for Charm City Cross. I knew it was a UCI race*, but I’d raced DCCX last year, which was also a UCI race, and that wasn’t too bad. I mean, it was hard, but I survived. I was even riding a borrowed bike that didn’t have ‘cross tires and was able to ride most of the course. Maybe because I had regretted not riding it last year. Or maybe I was ready for a new challenge.
Whatever it was that possessed me to sign up for Charm City, I felt sick to my stomach as soon as I did it. It has a long sand section and I knew that would suck (and I’ve never ridden in sand). It was a LONG course – over 2 miles! That’s a long lap. There was no beginner category, so I’d have to race with women who were faster and more experienced than me. Plus, it had a flyover, which terrified me – mainly I was terrified that it would be too steep and I wouldn’t be able to make it over without falling down.
When you’re ready to sign up for a race, the first challenge is finding races in your areas and the second challenge is figuring out which race to sign up for! While the way race categories are organized and set up is can seem complicated and convoluted, you do not need to understand all the nuances of race categories to sign up for your first race. Below, I discuss both the basics of signing up for races and the specifics of how race categories work.
Signing up for races
How do I find races in my area to sign up for?
The best place to find cyclocross races in your area is at BikeReg.com. This is the website (almost) all races in the mid-Atlantic use to facilitate registration. You can search for races near your zip code, by type (“Cyclocross”), or region, and all the cyclocross races that are using BikeReg for registration will show up in the search results, sorted by date by default, with the earliest race appearing first in the list.
If I’m not looking for a specific race, I usually look under “Event Calendars”–>”Cyclocross”–>”Mid Atlantic” to see races in my area, which is DC.
You’ve heard about cross, learned about cross, been to some cross races and have decided you want to join in the madness! But… where to start? It’s all so overwhelming! How do you know what kind of bike to get? How do you learn the skills needed? What are even the skills you need to learn?? Not to mention, how do you even find races in your area to sign up for?? Never fear, Anna is here! There is a lot to learn, but I’ve broken it down to make it easy to digest. The first step is The Bike. In subsequent articles, I’ll address cyclocross skills are needed (and how/where to practice them!), how to sign up for races, and what you should do on race day.
My second cross race had a very inauspicious start, what with a stolen bike and all. But despite all of that, my desire to ride was overwhelming and I found a bike to borrow for DCCX. And I’m so glad I did, because it turns out the act of racing means so much more than the bike I’m racing on!
It is a two day race and I was only planning to race on Sunday, but still went and spectated most of the afternoon on Saturday, despite the sadness of the bike theft. While Saturday was bone dry, with dust choking everything, it rained overnight and made everything a little soft. So, it turns out, if you want a muddy course, just invite me because I seem to bring the rain!
Very dust on day 1!
It wasn’t soupy like it was at Hyattsville, just a slick and slippery. And wow, what a course it was! I had been terrified to learn earlier that week that they had brought the flyover from Charm City to use at DCCX, but when I got there on Saturday, I heard that because 3 people had been taken to the hospital because of the flyover, they took it out for the early races with the less experienced riders. And I was thankful for that! However, it was still a wicked course. There were a LOT of sharp little inclines, all very short and very steep, which was made it a LOT harder than Hyattsville! Hyattsville was a slog, with the mud just sapping all the strength. DCCX was a lot more technical, requiring not only the legs to get up the inclines, but also the skill needed to keep up the speed around all the turns (although, “speed” is a relative term when talking about my racing). I normally would have been able to make it up those inclines, but I wasn’t able to keep up any speed on the downhill because I didn’t trust my wheels to keep enough grip on the slippery grass. Plus, the lack of tread made it impossible to stand up on the hills, as my back wheel would wash out every time on the soft ground and I’d had to do an awkward dismount to “run” up the hill.
I was learning how to be a little more fearless on the bike, to try and be a little more technical in my racing, but riding with my friend’s bike didn’t help that. I know I have the skill to be a really good technical racer, gaining and keeping speed through tricky bits, but I was so paranoid of my wheels washing out, I slowed down way more than I wanted to. I fear this is a habit that will be hard to break! The most treacherous part of the course was a “M” configuration, where you went up a steep hill, immediately went down a steep hill that turned right into another steep hill which turned right down until a longer downhill with a nice tight turn at the bottom (okay, not that tight, but it felt tight with the speed from the downhill). PLUS there were the rocks and roots on the downhill to avoid AND the sand/dirt at bottom, which not only made it very hard to keep up any speed to get back up the steep incline, but also added the risk of washing out! So, you know, basically turned me into a scaredy-cat. I’d dismount at the top of the “M” and cautiously pick my way down the hill. Chris gave me a lot of grief about that when he saw me stop and get off my bike. But in my defense, it was a new bike with crap tires, so I think I was justified in my caution.
Walking cautiously down the “M”
This race has another first – my first handup. Honestly, this was the part of cross that I most looked forward to! The first lap I took a bacon handup, which was a mistake. It was a whole piece, which was hard to chew quickly and it was so salty! The second lap I took a beer handup, which was better, but honestly, when you’re going as hard as you are in a race, any food does not sit well in the stomach. I spent the rest of the lap regretting that beer. But I don’t think that will stop me from taking another handup….
Advantage to doing early races: your race doesn’t have to eat up your whole day. Disadvantage to riding early: limited opportunities to pre-ride. In the Super 8 series, my race is generally at 10am, which means I can only pre-ride before the 9am race, unless I want to get to the course before the 8:15 race (HA). Another disadvantage: I rarely get to cheer on Chris/@cycleboredom because I’m always either standing in line to pick my number up or getting ready to pre-ride.
Overall, it was a great race. My dad visited me for the weekend to watch me race and it was so, so great to have him there – it was great to have his calming presence during the bike debacle and it was great to have him there to cheer and take pictures during the race. I regret that I forgot to take a picture together! It was a hard, HARD course. I felt like throwing up multiple times and definitely cried a little, both during and after the race. But the support and the atmosphere of the race make it all worth it and I can’t wait to do it again!
(While this post might seem obscenely long, it has everything you could want: a thrilling race report, beautiful views, an objective review of the race organization, AND personal introspection!)
I’m not sure why I signed up for Charm City Cross. I knew it was a UCI race*, but I’d raced DCCX last year, which was also a UCI race, and that wasn’t too bad. I mean, it was hard, but I survived. I was even riding a borrowed bike that didn’t have ‘cross tires and was able to ride most of the course. Maybe because I had regretted not riding it last year. Or maybe I was ready for a new challenge.
Mastering the Uphill Shift 