Cyclocross Day 1

I've never mounted a cyclocross bike, or raced in a CX race.  For one reason or another, I've never really wanted to.  But after a disappointing final collegiate race yesterday (getting pulled after being wrecked by another rider and getting stuck at the back of the pack with no passing room), I decided last minute to head up to Summit for this year's Frisco Cross ACA CX race.

My only problem (not having a bike) was solved by some help from one of the local legends David Overstreet, who let me borrow his Primus Mootry for the race.  Jumping on a CX bike for the first time a mere 20 minutes before your first race can be a bit intimidating, especially when the likes of professional Jake Wells and a stacked field of other racers come out to play in the dust.  However, I needed an outlet for all my pent up energy from the day before, and was excited to jump on the bike (over and over) during the 60 minute sufferfest.  

The differences between mountain bike racing and cyclocross are many, but the most impacting to me was the fact that I was "racing" the entire 60 minutes on course.  I didn't have any chance to recover, nor did I have time to think about pain - at the end, my brain was fried from so much concentration.  The one thing I have to say about cross is that it's addicting.

I'm excited to see what I can do this season - though I'm getting a little bit of a late start - this may become more of a passion than an addiction, who knows?

This is what happens when you try to stick to my wheel when I've never ridden cross before - I need to work on my technical skills on these awkward bikes.

Announcer extraordinaire, Larry Grossman, was not only announcing all day, but also racing in one of the earlier races of the day.  SQUIRT LUBE is the best!

Until next time,

The ponderous k.