Cleave

Nice video. Still not something you'd catch me doing.

sarals 

Surf City Cyclo-X Series, Merry Cross-mas, Watsonville, CA WM 55+

DNF. I made it a lap and a half. Too bad, because I could have placed in the top three in my age group in the this three race series.

The course was on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. The surface varied from grassy and wet, sandy and flooded, to muddy like peanut butter. The runups were all on the muddy like peanut butter sections, and they were long and steep runups.

I got a decent start, midpack in the field of 12 to 15. I held it, too, even passing a few riders in the first downhill section. I felt good when we got to the mud, and I initially skated through it with very few issues. Then we hit the runups. I was full gas, redlined going over the barriers and up the first one, and I had a heck of time keeping my footing near the top. The hecklers were all there, cowbells, taunts, the whole nine yards, but that was fun! Then, there was a steep downhill on the same hill, and it was NOT rideable, even though the hecklers wanted us to try riding it. I had something to say about that, too - matching the color of the vocabulary I was hearing there! The bottom of the course was flooded and the sand was like quicksand. In places it was a foot deep. I didn't have any real problems getting through it, but I was using a huge amount of energy. Finally, after getting through all that, on the last little kicker before the start/finish straight, just an easy little hop up, I misjudged my line and ended up on the ground. That took something out of me!

About 1/3 of the way through the second lap, the rear derailleur and cassette were so loaded up with muck that the rear wouldn't shift any more. The brakes were making all sorts of noises, and the chain was skipping on the cassette. I could no longer clip in, the pedals and my cleats were totally clogged with crud. The bike was just caked with muck. I was dicing with a young lady who was having a really hard time with the quicksand, and she was having an even harder time holding me off. However, when we got to the barrier runup, she just walked away from me. My bike felt like it weighed a ton when I was lifting it over the barriers, and then I couldn't shoulder it for the runup. When I got to the top of the hill, I cashed in my chips. Enough, the course beat me.

The cipro bout I had yesterday MAY have had a little to do with my lack of stamina today, but I think it was minimal. My warmup went well, and I felt very good through most of the first lap. The biggest issue was that I have never ridden in mud before. I was woefully inefficient because of it. The runups, with the slipping and sliding, really took it out of me, and I didn't know how to recover. I've a lot to think about from this race, it was an education. Oh, it was fun, but OMG...

Photos: Oh - I had already hosed off my shoes in the first photo.

shovelhd

You weren't kidding about a foot deep. Shot #3 . Glad you survived.

valygrl

Woah, sara. That looks sloppy & heavy! The post-race bike wash must have been pretty epic, too!

Hope you are feeling better.

LAJ

Nasty. Good job for giving it a shot, Sara.

sarals 

I feel a little bad for not finishing, I could have hosed the bike off at the pit area and continued, but I was just squashed physically. I had no reserves, and that was probably that cipro battle I had. I did the right thing, and I'm happy I did give it my best. That was confirmed when I was watching the A men (the photos) STRUGGLING over the barriers and runups just as hard as I was!

The bike had mud embedded just everywhere. It took me a while to get it cleaned up. I cleaned and lubed the chain, and carefully cleaned the cables and brake tracks on the wheels. I've never owned a piece of equipment that has gotten that trashed, ever. It was no wonder it wouldn't shift!

sarals 

Shovel, the area between those buildings was even worse than that! Literally quicksand. I was laughing riding through it, because I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

shovelhd

Have you followed the World Cup this year? You should see those courses.

I get an interesting perspective officiating cross races as I work with the RD, course designer, staff, racers, and officials. The domestic UCI course designers want to offer very challenging courses to prepare Elites for WC. However I will get feedback from some of the Elites that the course is too dangerous and too difficult. So how is US UCI cross racing supposed to advance to the point where the U.S. fields a competitive team other than U23? It's not always possible to have two lines. Make the courses fun for the domestic elites and let the WC aspirants race in Europe?

Racer Ex 

My take is that racers need the big motor and physical ability more than they need to slog through a hard course. USAC folks were touting how they needed to have lots of climbing in championship events so elites could get used to that type of route for euro races. Yet three of the best young US climbers came from Texas, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Hermes

Euro v USA is an interesting topic. I am always a little surprised when one our elite or junior racers competes at worlds and just gets crushed. Of course, that is not always the case but it seems like it. One wonders is it the competition, terrain, vibe, coaching or something in the water. And there are the elite racers who go to Europe and train and race there and come back here and kill their competitors.

Case in point is one of the track women who spent some time living and racing in Europe and came back to the US and won the points race at Elite Track Nationals. And there was the male at the same event that lapped the elite men's field 3 times. The woman was also labeled by one of our brilliant trackies as not being suitable for the track when she showed up for her first session. So much for his judgement of horseflesh.

shovelhd

We seem to have good results with U23. We should, given what USAC spends on it, and the focus is Europe. I was referring mainly to Elites, that do not generally get USAC support, however they may be pros that get support from sponsors. If they want to compete in WC then either they have to go to Europe for the season or demand more challenging courses stateside.

Racer Ex 

Talent is talent. Craddock went over and was 2nd at Junior Worlds in the TT. Carpenter's kid didn't do badly. But our thin fields can make less talented kids look stronger than they are.

We draw from a pretty tiny pool as well. Imagine if cycling was as popular (and as cheap) as our three major sports...or even as common as track and field in our schools. I'm pretty sure there's a few Eddie Merckx level talents doing other things here.

And our kids have a lot of 1st world distractions. Uruguay has 3.5 million people and is a soccor power because 3.499 million people are kicking the ball around rather than playing video games.

sarals 

Ex, right on.

shovelhd

Some of those kids kicking the ball around see a chance to make a decent living. The same cannot be said for domestic cycling.

Racer Ex 

You don't think people are chomping at the bit for a hugely demanding and painful sub-minimum wage job where the big perk is free ramen noodles?



Really?




REALLY?



Based on what I know, 95% of junior devo kids have parents that are paying to have them on any team including the bigger names out there. 20-ish % of the domestic teams it's the same deal at the "pro" level here. So if you're mom is working two jobs to cover the basics it's unlikely you're going to be showing up at the junior Paris Roubaix instead of the local b-ball court. My old teammate who is/was a huge talent was on the Olympic devo team and had to quit because he was tired of being broke.

In the mean time kids are being recruited out of junior high for the three major sports.

revchuck 

So I'm not the only one who noticed that some Juniors show up at races with Zipps for pit wheels?

To be honest, most of the young guys here are on pretty pedestrian mounts, and race in the spirit of a serious game of sandlot football. They're fun to watch. I don't think any of them aspire to race professionally.

Hermes

Track omnium yesterday - Flying 200, flying one lap, 500 meter time trial, kilo and 2k pursuit. I did all the events in the M40+.

shovelhd

Nice job!!!!

nacler22

Got steak?


Well done Hermes.

Cleave

@Hermes, very nice! Was that a week-long omnium? The guy on the top step has biceps the size of my calves.

Hermes

Thanks guys.

It should have been a week long omnium.

Racer Ex 

Did someone mention steak knives?

Allegheny Jet

Nice racing Hermes! Apparently your track season continues through the cooler months.

Racer Ex 

Cooler is relative in them parts.

revchuck 

Way to go, Hermes!