#cyclocross racing

[bg-music]

So I have decided to commit to racing cyclocross again.

Two years ago, I was an “eh” Cat 3 that started off 2013 in decent form and then fell apart in late October. In Rochester, of all places, at a course that I’ve never liked on a weekend I’d planned on skipping since planning that season.

As of right now, I get winded on the rollers after twenty minutes and am completely out of bike shape. And for those of you that obsess about race weight, I’m about ten pounds over. Not too bad, I know, but you add in having smoked a lot of various types of cigarettes over the last year and a half and no rides longer than a casual 20 miles since April, and you’ve got a recipe for harsh truths. 

Thankfully I still have a car with a roof rack back East and a family that will be supportive of my rekindling the racing habit, so long as it is in good health and for positive reasons. 

Plus I know a lot of the people that will be at the Buffalo and Rochester races, so that’ll be fun.

And speaking of Ellison Park, never again.

I also think I may spectate/heckle/cheer/see if someone needs a pit guy at ‘Cross In The Park...

[jimmy-clarke-camerawork]

cross vegas 2015 charging !

[bg-music]

More from the 'cross race last weekend.

[mgtwo-blog]

In Cold Mud

What is Cyclocross without the mud?

Like a good peaty scotch, autumn, was an acquired taste for me. Maybe it the season's historical association with back-to-school anxiety that soiled its reputation. Maybe it was just the end of summer fun. Either way, cyclocross helped me find a new a appreciation for the fall many years ago in Chicago, IL. Living in California for the past six years has deprived me of this most dramatic of seasons. The smells weren't there, the leaves were all still largely on their trees, and the chill wasn't quite chilly enough. Thankfully though, the competition was stiff, and the enthusiasm was hearty and genuine.

I'm back from the west now, and looking forward to a proper East Coast autumn. The smell of dead leaves in cold mud, huddling over vats of chilli, racing not always to win, but sometimes just to stay warm- ok racing to win and stay warm.

One of my favorite things about cyclocross racing often occurs during those first two races of the season; the scalded-lung sensation after the sixty minutes of sweet torture has elapsed. There's little you can do to prepare for the white hot intensity of a well-contended cross race and even less you can do to avoid the sizzle. You just gotta jump in, tear the bandage off straightaway and embrace the pain.

[mtbblog]

The two most insane aspects of cycling