My first cyclocross race report!

And not my last. It was even more fun racing than it’s been cheering for racers these last couple of seasons.

I was a little nervous about my first ‘cross race. I made the butterflies smaller by keeping my expectations low; don’t come in DFL, and try not to break any bones. The miniaturized butterflies didn’t keep me up too late, and I managed to get a pretty good night’s sleep.

Gregg’s race was a full two hours before mine. But I was pretty anxious, so I started warming up during his race. We were parked near the course, so we set up the trainer next to the car, and while I warmed up I was ringing the cowbell and cheering for him and some other friends as they raced by the car. In past years I’ve hiked all over the course taking pictures. Also fun. But I’ll have to do a couple of races before I’m comfortable wandering around being a spectator a couple of hours before my race. I’d burned myself out so badly at Kruger’s a couple of weeks ago that I was kind of freaking out about the warm up. I was determined to get my heart rate up during warm up this time. I have trouble doing that on the trainer, but I did manage to get a couple of pretty good intervals in.

But since I’d started warming up so early on the trainer I had almost an hour until my lineup. So I rode around Alpenrose trying to stay loose and warm, and chatting up other friends who were out for the race. It’s really cool to finally be seeing people I know; some of them from Portland I’ve met at other races, and actually a growing number from Corvallis. It’s good to be around friends when you’re putting yourself out there.

Finally I got around to lining up, and discovered that I was about 20th back in the beginners. Not the start I’d been hoping for. And then they had all the beginners move to the other side of the rope. Somehow I lost some positions there. And then they had us move back?! By the time we started, I was probably in 35th – 40th position in the lineup. It was an impressive lineup … 75 beginner women?! Amazing, and wonderful. And because my expectations were low, I didn’t actually mind being so far back in the pack. Those roadies always kick my butt, and there are a LOT of roadies into ‘cross racing.

From 2008 Cross Crusade #1 - Alpenrose

It was looking pretty rainy when we arrived, but during Gregg’s race it was actually starting to dry out a little. Perfect conditions in my mind … muddy, but not actually raining. By the time the women’s race started the mud had actually dried out a little. So it wasn’t actively raining on us, and the mud was pretty tacky. I couldn’t have hoped for better conditions!

It took a few minutes to get through the initial clump of women who were slower than me. We were pretty tightly packed. But as soon as I had an opportunity to pass I hammered! We had a little mud about two minutes into the race, and I found my first opportunity to pass. A nice section of double-track; most of the women in front of me took the nice packed path to the left, which left a less traveled path to the right totally open. I hadn’t had a chance to pre-ride, or even walk the course. So everything was a surprise to me. Including the off-camber uphill right turn at the end of that section. Quick shift-down, and pass another rider on the inside.

On to the one and only tiny section of single-track on the course, and naturally there were about 5 women in front of me; some of them actually stopping on the hill! Noooo! What are you doing to me?! Another section of downhill double-track, and the roadies are slowing down again. Pass some riders on the left, and get around the U-turn at the end.

Another nice long straight section; oh my god, this is steeper than it looks, and rough, damn, it’s harder than it looked when I was watching the men’s field race by. Another twist, and a turn, and … wow, avoid the riders going down in front of me on that sharp left. I hop off the bike in the corner and run to the barrier … and … I’m not doing that again! For a non-runner, this is too far to run; the roadies might not be willing, but I could have made that corner and ridden there instead! Make a note for the next lap.

From 2008 Cross Crusade #1 - Alpenrose

The bike that I didn’t think I could shoulder flies onto my shoulder, and I run up the hill. Re-mount? Are you kidding? Even on a good day this is ugly, and it’s not looking good in race conditions. But now into the Velodrome. Cool. Over a couple of barriers. Another embarrassing re-mount (I really need to work on that), and then onto the track. The women in front of me don’t seem to realize they can use the side of the Velodrome and make the corner unnecessarily sharp (and slow), so I sweep around the outside and up on the side of the Velodrome (following the path of mud left by the men before us), passing another couple of women.

I’m thankful all this time that I decided to keep my heart rate monitor in front of me. I know it’s totally un-cool, but I have such a hard time managing my heart rate. At Kruger’s I let it get out of control, and burned myself out in the first 15 minutes of the race. Not cool. So this time I managed my warm-up better, and kept a closer eye on my heart rate during the race. It seems like the magic numbers are … don’t let it get above 200, and when it does get around 200 follow with a quick “recovery” by letting it drop below 190. Crazy, huh? But I was able to maintain this for the duration of the race, and didn’t actually get the light-headed, seeing stars, think I’m going to vomit thing until the end of the race. Perfect timing, right?

From 2008 Cross Crusade #1 - Alpenrose

Oh yeah, I came in 15th! Not bad for starting in about 35th out of 75 riders.

This was really a good race for me, and I don’t know if I’ll get this lucky again. It was technical enough to slow down the beginners who are coming from a roadie background, but not so slick that it slowed me down at all. And minimal barriers … god I’m awful at getting over those things. But this year’s Crusade season is all about fun for me. I’ll practice a little now and again, and I’ll absolutely give 100% on the course. But the riding I’m doing during the week is all about having a good time with my friends, and is not focused on training for any specific goal.

But next year, after the next big exam … well, I think I could really get hooked on this and want to train for more. Time will tell, eh?

Next installment … maybe I’ll finally get around to chatting about our mountain bike vacation back in July!

Halloween Cross 2007

Traditionally the Halloween CX race is held at the Flying M Ranch. We went for the first time last year, and had a blast. I wasn't racing last year either, but it was totally fun to watch. And the Flying M was a GREAT venue. I loved that it was so heavily forested. There was plenty of room for camping, racing, and 'spectating' (I use the form of a verb, because in this case it actually implies doing something active). So we were a little sad that the Flying M was shutting its doors, and Halloween Cross would be relocated.

The new venue, for 2007 at least, was Astoria. One of my old haunts. I taught high school in Astoria for a few years, many, many years ago. Almost a decade ago actually. I was surprised to realize that! We weren't able to leave Corvallis until late Saturday morning, and with the schedule of 'cross related events that didn't give us much time to explore Astoria and visit with old friends. We did manage to sneak in dinner with an old friend of mine though. John, it was fabulous seeing you! And I know you didn't want very badly for us to show up at the Talking Tombstones event on Sunday, but we LOVED it.

You're awesome John. You do the COOLEST stuff :) Our camera died after the first picture, so we didn't get a very good picture of John (no, that's not John playing death), but Gregg did run back for batteries (and jackets ... damn it was cold!) so we did get a few pictures of other players.

Anyway, I digress. Halloween Cross in Astoria was different, but totally fun! I don't think it had quite the energy that last year's event had, but it was great. And this year I rode in the Poker Ride the day before the race. I have several physical issues that make things like lifting a bike and running really painful (and not in a good way). The poker ride was just a pre-ride of the race course for a couple of laps. They didn't have the barriers up yet, and everything was rideable. So I was able to stay on the bike the whole time, which totally met my needs (a.k.a. physical limitations), and it was really fun! I'm hoping to race next season, and I can see already that being on the course with a bunch of people is going to completely spook me. But I've been told I'll get used to that.

Here are some photos we took of Halloween Cross

Vegas, baby! (part 4 of the working holiday)

Vegas is always a bit of a misadventure. Neither of us is well suited for Vegas, but this is where Interbike is, so here we go again.

I was super excited to see Gregg again, after a week and a half of roaming around. And I have to admit I was a little sad to touch down in rainy, dreary Portland only to fly out again without ever leaving the airport. A little sad to leave home I guess, even when the cold gray weather.

Anyway, we had a pretty comfortable and uneventful flight to Vegas, easily and quickly got our luggage and caught a shuttle to the hotel. Too good to be true, right?! Totally!!! They booked us into a room on the strip, directly over an incredibly loud, open door dance club. I got so desperate to sleep that I was trying to hide out on the bathroom floor with the door shut. Still no good, and I was about 30 seconds from sleeping in the hall outside my door before the noise finally went out around 4 am! Grrrrr.

I really wanted to come to Interbike again this year, so that I could get out to Bootleg Canyon for the outdoor demo. I want a new bike. I love my current bike. I really do. In fact I attribute my new-found love of mountain biking to my lovely Niner ... but I'm ready for some squish. I was completely exhausted for Tuesday's outdoor demo day, but totally looking forward to trying out some FS bikes.

The first booth we hit was Salsa. I checked out a Dos Niner, and Gregg picked out a scandium frame Mamasita. I can't speak for Gregg, but I really liked the Dos Niner. I felt totally comfortable on it instantly. It took a little bit to warm up my legs, but the trails out there are great! Clearly designed to make you fall in love with whatever bike you're riding. And I did love the Salsa. But I didn't think it much (if any) of a step up from what I've already got (again, really love my Niner) ... If you're in the market though, I'd highly recommend a ride on a Salsa.

We realized we were going to run out of time if we tried to hit up everybody, so we went 'directly' to the Niner booth. I've been dying to try out the R.I.P. 9 for quite a while now. The guys at the Niner booth were incredibly nice, and I got a lot of sympathy while I waited for HOURS (I do think I was waiting for at least an hour and a half) for a RIP 9 in my size to roll back in. Apparently the shorties who'd already checked out the small RIP 9's were out there having a great time! And I can see why. What a blast! I'm not used to FS bikes, so the travel on the Niner was a little plush for me ... it felt a little weird. But it practically pedaled itself, and the fit was instantly near-perfect. And on those rolly, banked trails, the plushness was juuuust right. Since leaving the demo I've thought more about it, and I'm not convinced that I actually want that much travel and plushness for the more slow and technical stuff that I'd normally ride. Now I'm thinking I'll wait another year, save my money for New Zealand, and check out the J.E.T. 9 at next year's outdoor demo :)

I barely had any juice left, and it was getting pretty hot, but we both wanted to get out on another bike before we left the demo day. So we hit up Lenz for a couple of FS bikes. I really hated the geometry. Felt like I was perched up over the handlebars. I think it's pretty typical for a DH/Freeride position, which I think is their typical audience. But it makes me feel totally unstable on the bike. I really like my seat to be further from my bars. I was totally impressed though with the feel of the rear suspension. And Gregg totally loved the bike.

I'm really hoping to get out on a Titus, and maybe the Specialized and Gary Fisher. And next year, fingers crossed, I'll ride the JET 9 at the Bootleg Canyon demo day. So, all that effort and I still don't know what I want. But it was an awesome day, and I can't wait to do it even better next year.

The other major highlight of our trip was Wednesday night's Cross Vegas! (Check out this cool YouTube video) It was a great race for Oregon. The Kona duo of Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks dominated the whole men's race, with Ryan taking first. And Molly Cameron was in great form. Not great cycling form, per se, but she put on a great show ... beer in one hand, bike in the other, hopping over barriers. We were ringing bells and shouting like crazy during the entire thing. We were also lucky to get a ride back to the strip with some friends of friends ... saving us about $25 in cab fare. It was a great night.

Other brief highlights of the Vegas trip

• Meeting up with Chip and Andrea (friends from Denver) before their Cirque show (Ka) Thursday night. They taught us how to gamble :)
• Seeing Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity at New York New York, Friday night
• Hanging out with Chip & Andrea in their fantastic room at the Bellagio, overlooking the water show in the lake ... and then winning some $$ in the penny slots downstairs before heading back to our hotel. I actually won $15! Can you believe it?!

As usual, Vegas was a mixed bag. Noisy, smelly, and too many people. Good shows, overpriced bad food, great bikes to ride, bike events, huge amounts of cool bike stuff ... I still wish it weren't in Vegas, but I can't wait to go to Interbike again (wherever it is).