Cyclocross Racing - Awright!

8 out of 17! My best finish yet, 1st race of this year, ss CX 4.

I'm still a weiner, but I'm a weiner in the middle of the pack instead of the very back. By race 10 or so I'm hoping I'll be able to hang in the front pack. Well, I hope to be hanging on the front maybe by race 5, firmly ensconced by 10.

congrats! keep pushing yourself.

Woohoo!

4th out of 11!

wow, 11th around here might not even get you in the top 10%.

Well it's singlespeed 3/4. The geared classes are bigger.

2nd place!! *






*cuz there was only 3 of us b/c this was the 2nd day on the same course and most everyone else were doing a race in a different part of town, but I raced real hard and finished behind the guy I finished behind yesterday so I feel alright about it.

OK. I suck at this game. First race of the season. DFL in b's but had fun anyway. Hopefully it won't go this way all season.

9 out of 20!

Which is great as far as I'm concerned. There's a couple guys I'm usually faster than that beat me but I wasn't quite up to speed b/c I had to take some days off last week for my back, and I didn't get to go for a ride yesterday, so I was about 80% or so of normal... And oh my god did the course suck- bumpy grass, bumpy grass, bumpy grass. And it turned back in on itself so many times I just couldn't ever gauge where I was, like how far along and if I should turn it up here or there... oh it sucked so hard. So I'm happy just being in the top half.

Oh man... I thought the race was sunday so yesterday I did some hard intervals to the point of nearly puking, and then this morning found out the race is today. I was burned from yesterday and man oh man did it suck. Thought I was gonna puke and pass out at one point, thought I would have to actually just stop and not finish the race. So I was like 3rd or 4th from last. Dudes I normally beat all kicked my butt.

Oy.

Long, dirt straightaways and I put on a lower gear the night before, so everyone left me in the dust, but going along fine and then a flat the 1st part of the 2nd lap. Run, and bike gently a little, all the way around to the pit near the finish line, put on my spare wheel and by the time I do the leader finishes, so my race was done, DFL.

I wanted to do a full race so I rented a demo bike and registered for master 35+ 3/4. WTF was I thinking entering a race w/ "masters" in the title? I got lapped, so 4 laps was my race while everyone but 1 other guy did 5. 2nd to DFL.

The race was right on the beach. Basically long, fast dirt roads then deep sand to the beach which was ridable, along the beach, into some more sand and a runup, then back down into deep sand which was scary/fun. Go as fast as you can when you hit it and try not to let the sand grab your front wheel from you. Then another hill and back down to the roads. Woulda been a great race had I not lowered my gearing and not flatted, or at least had the sense to race regular men's 3/4 instead of the master's race.

Kinda disappointing just cuz I was hoping to make a better showing than last race- I'm in the top 5 of the series points-wise because I did real well my first 3 races and have been showing up for most of them, so it's kind of embarrassing to get called up and then suck big-time. Oh well.

Ah, you rode the Storm The Beach ride. I was in the CX 4 race, was 14th out of 29. Not bad for my first time out, first time even seeing in person a cyclocross race. Lots of fun. Are you going to go to the Balboa Park race? Part of it is my commute home. Fun!

That's the "adam's avenue" race? No, I'm in LA, just a little too far to drive. I'll be missing that and the san luis obispo for sure.

Yes. That is the one. I plan to get into this racing thing a bit more, at least next season. My goal is to get up to CX 3, and see how I feel at that point. Pretty simple, five races to do it. I just cannot afford to heavily invest in it (extra wheels and the like). I'm out to have fun, learn new skills, meet people. If I place last, I don't really mind. If I didn't enjoy it, then I do mind. My commute (a mile of it singletrack trail), plus my regular type of rides seem good enough practice for me. Good luck with future races and congratulations on the gains you have made thus far (last race not withstanding).

Well I spose this is my race diary...

2nd to last in ss. I coulde been 3rd to last has I not thrown my chain, but the like 6 guys (I think) that finished ahead of me, they were all kind of in a pack and way ahead of me. I was again in the middle but no one was there with me. Given my first 3 races I thought I had kind of risen up a level from last year but I'm figuring out that's not really the case. Fitness-wise I still have quite a way to go to feel like I'm a competitive racer. It's fine I'm just not really where I want to be and sort of thought I was.

anyhoo, did mens 3/4 also and at least I didn't get lapped. I crossed the finish line and they announce "OK! Bring out the kids!" for this special kiddie race. I was like "was I the very last person to finish?" I didn't remember every single guy pass me and every single woman too (4/3, ss 1/2/3 and some women's category all raced same time basically)... turned out 2 guys got lapped and about 6 women, so I was the last person to finish who hadn't been lapped. And I can proudly say I wasn't close to being lapped, so, there you go.

Keep on writing these up, I enjoy reading it. Going for my CX race #2 today, so I like reading your thoughts. This seems to be a finicky sport. It almost seems that training can guarantee what half of the field you place in, but beyond that, it's a myriad of factors that control your actual placing.

Yeah I'm still figuring it out. For next year I'm gonna get a book on training, because I ride all the time and have been trying to do intervals, but I just cannot keep the pace with the front pack. Part of it is I"m having serious back issues but nevertheless I kind of have a pace I know I can do and what happens is the front guys leave me and I just kind of race myself for the rest of the race, going the pace I know I can maintain. I need to figure out how to get to a higher level.