The most fun I've had on a 'cross course yet. Probably because it played to my strengths. Comments I heard afterwards, "that wasn't a cyclocross course, that was a criterium!" or, bleary-eyed, "that was a hard course.." and gasping, "that was FAST."
Yes, so I liked the course. There was still fun singletrack, crazy bumpy twisting corners, sandy turns, two barriers ON the run-up and more... but there was also a sweeet uphill stretch of pavement. Excuse me, roadie coming through.
I also felt like I was playing "Cops and Robbers" for the entire race. I was in a group with two other women and we kept trading the lead like dice rolling out of a Yahtzee jar. As time wore on, tho
ugh- any lead that was won by smartly maneuvering a corner or barrier was eventually outweighed by the hammer that struck on the run-up and the pavement-- if I may be modest. That was, needless to say, deeply satisfying. Previously a cop, hunting down the fugitives, I was now the robber making the escape. I couldn't become complacent, though. I kept pushing hard on my strong sections and played it safe in tricky sections. Riding slow in a sandy corner is a far less risky investment than riding it fast and eating it.I also caught one of my junior riders, Phillip, who started 30 seconds in front of me in Men's B. Phillip has been a real challenge for me in hard workouts, and I think the only reason I caught him was because I was playing with two rabbits and he had none. It was a highlight of the race, though, when we tore up the run-up side-by-side with our local
crowd on top of the hill encouraging us all the way. But then we hit the pavement and ol' coach's endurance paid its dividends.I quite like this sport. I still have a LOT to learn, which only adds to the appeal. I only hope that I can carry this renewed vigor into road racing as well.
Photo Right: Alex, Phillip and I pose with our JAMIS Supernova cyclocross bikes.
Visit Bikery Racing: CCY Junior Cycling Team
A video/slideshow from the weekend will be posted there soon!
