sarals 

Surf City Cyclo-X Series, Santa Cruz Pie Cross

I raced in the WM 55+ category. I knew both of my competitors, and I knew both were experienced and strong. So, my plan was to gain experience (only my third cross race), ride smart, take advantage where I could, and have fun. 45 minutes, 5 laps.

The course was at the Cal-Fire Training Facility near Felton in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The ground was loamy in places, not dusty, and featured good traction. I don't know a thing about cross tires (yet), so I stayed with the 38MM Conti-Cross tires I have on the bike, and ran the front and back at 35 PSI. That seemed fine in the pre-ride lap. The course itself had a four barrier section, some kind of cork screw thingie, a wooded single track section, a run-up over a log and up a steep slope in deep loam, an off camber section with a 90 degree turn at the end, and two short but super-steep embankments - twice up, once down.

The women's field was large, probably close to 30 riders. The A women went, then the B's and C's, and finally the M 35+, 45+ and 55+. I initially stayed towards the back, but was able to collect and pass several riders prior to the barriers. I got behind a junior who was all over the place, and I had a heck of time getting around her. I finally got her at the "log run-up" - job done! I passed a few more riders on my way around the course. I spent time trying to remember where the good lines were for the next lap. The embankment section was a challenge, the front of the bike would get really light on the climb, and I'd actually loft the front wheel clearing the top! The actual climbs were only about seven or eight feet high, but you needed momentum to get over them.

My second lap was uneventful, I went as hard as I needed to, and was careful about lines in tricky sections of the course. I didn't pass anyone, I held my own.

On the third lap, a younger woman, stronger, caught up to me. She was fast on the easy sections, but not good in the technical sections. When we got to embankments, we were side by side at the top of the little descent, and she decided she didn't want to do it and turned right into me. Crash number one.

On the fourth lap, the A women where starting to lap me, and one of them decided to try a pass just as we were going up one of the embankments. Not wise! We sort of tangled, I moved a little right, made a big effort to get over the top of the embankment, and up came the front wheel. I saw sky and handlebars and remembered thinking "damn, I'm looping a bicycle!" Crash number two.

Lap five was my best. I had figured out the lines through the turns and technical sections and I just let it go. My dismount/remount over the barriers was working well, and my run-up continued to work for me, because I passed two tired women in that section (who promptly passed me back on the flats!). I crossed the line less than a minute behind second place in my age group, and made the podium - third!

Cross is totally fun! Next race is in two weeks.

AzTallRider

Sounds like you are having a blast, Sara. But I'm not buying a CX bike!

revchuck 

+1!

shovelhd

Me neither. But I will heckle you.

sarals 

Heckling is allowed, and I'd love a beer hand up!!

Hermes

Nice Sara but I prefer riding and racing indoors.

sarals 

Thanks, Hermes!! Yeah, we all have our preferences - and we're all racers. Pretty cool!

nacler22

Great report Sara. If you're not careful, you just might get good at this.

Actually, it sounds as though you already are.

LAJ

Agree.

sarals 

Thanks, guys! It's just FUN!!!

Racer Ex 

So I had totally bagged the CX race today when I looked out to see the weather break and a rainbow landing right around the spot where the race was taking place.

I had already loaded up the van and couldn't ignore the metaphor.

Registered for the "C" race, and the SS race afterwards.

I figured that given this was my 2nd CX race (the last one was 8 years ago), I was on a fixed gear on a very technical course with a lot of loose sand, I'm old, just getting over a cold, and I've done zero intensity in the last few months, first race on the new bike, zero CX practice, I figured that the "C" race against the kids was fair enough. If it's too easy then I'll pull out before the end. If it's a real race, I'm going to the line.

My sandbag was very thin, damp paper.

Fell once and needed oxygen after two laps of practice. This will be fun.

I took my time at the start, somewhere around 8th into the first corner. Plan was to try to hang around the leaders, so when four guys shot off I figured I needed to get up there. Pretty soon it was just me, a guy on an MTB, and another guy. I started to get the feel for the new bike and made up time in the corners which compensated for the straw I seemed to be breathing through and the 20 RPM weightlifting I have to do out of the corners.

And the fact that my dismount and remounts are measure in epochs.

One stupid grassy off camber 180 seemed to hate me. Same place I crashed in practice. Down I went again.

A lap later it was me and MTB. I mostly hung around, sometimes leading, sometimes drafting into the nice 25 MPH headwind we'd hit from time to time. Fall in said hairpin. Around lap 3 this guy catches us and blows past. I slide past MTB and grab the wheel. Fall again in said hairpin. Fall in sand a few corners later.

The guy is hauling and I'm figuring that he's going to ride off until he hits the sand pit 180/barrier and dies trying to pedal through. I blast away when we hit the hairball asphalt/grass/airborne/airborne/offcamber/hairpin/curb downhill section despite spinning out.

Small gap. Ride tempo and let the other guys fry a bit. Next two laps it's me, MTB, and blaster. I answer the clicking of their gears with grunts. Stay up in hairpin. Blast away again in hairball section. Ride tempo. Slide back to third.

Last lap I sat on and put it in "don't fall down" mode. Stay upright and give finger to hairpin. Blast away on the downhill, squeak past a back marker in the offcamber section, and do my best hamster to the line for the win. Too windy to raise hands.

Track hack. 5 crashes. Bloody legs. Sore. Pass on 45 more minutes of racing and head home. Pretty fun. Might not wait another 8 years to try this again.

shovelhd

I have lost what little respect I had for you.

nacler22

Nice

By the way, all grassy off camber 180's are stupid. Just saying.




report to follow..........sometime.

Racer Ex 

And here I thought you never had any respect for me.

Hermes

Cyclocross =

LAJ

Speechless. Well done Racer Ex. Still speechless.

Hermes

Raced Santiago ITT posted in 33. https://www.bikeforums.net/33-road-bi...l#post17335818

Fun race with beautiful weather.

sarals 

Ex, why didn't you text me???

GREAT job, my friend!

Hey, you inspired me to try that "hanging around the front" stuff. I can probably do a couple of laps of that.

The non-grassy off-camber hairpins are pretty stupid, too. Fell twice last week on one. The guy behind me said "it's all good". What kind of crack are YOU smoking??

Anyway, I'm speechless, too, Ex!! Congratulations!!!

Allegheny Jet

Nice job Ex, I guess if you like that stuff. I'm cured and in total remission of Cross disease.

sarals 

Say it ain't so!

Allegheny Jet

My feet won't allow the off the bike sections. I kinda need to be able to walk the week after racing.

sarals 

Ahhhhh! Yes, walking is useful, sometimes.

nacler22

My race report from last weekend.

We don't get many wet races in the high desert, so everyone goes a little mental when we get to race in the mud, whether it's deep or not.

Results: Had fun, only went down twice, managed to get on the podium.

As always, Chris Haskell does a bang-up job with his video skills.

Hermes

I liked the video and the music.

sarals 

+1