Climbing back on the dusty/muddy pony

Look at the action blur, I must be riding really fast

So in cycling there are three major seasons. Mountain biking, road(which most of our team doesn't even do) and the holy cyclocross season. This year I have been able to do many things for cycling in the area but most of it included me not riding my bike. I have dedicated myself to as much cross as my life and body can handle.

My prior form: winning the 2011 Men's B State Champs

Last year I came into the cyclocross season in stellar shape and rode to many great finishes, ending up 3rd overall in the Cross Crusades and men's B state champion. All that great form and riding earned me a forced upgrade to the A's to ride with the big boys. Now here is the challenge the races are longer, faster, and I am less fit.

Into the mud bog: great add on for a dry race

That being said I was excited to go and suffer and see what my legs could do at this point, and was less worried about riding with the A's cause the first twilight races are normally only 35-40 minutes. So it was a big surprise when we lined up and they said have fun you are racing 60 minutes. Camp Harlow is a fun course in Eugene and it was setup in a way that I have never ridden it which always adds to the fun.


The course was super fast and dusty dry, until the first race started. In one corner of the course near the corn field the sprinklers came on, leading to a super large mud puddle, and a sharp left hand turn. Which led to more than one slip and slide fall. Hollis Brake slide like 25 feet with a smile on his face the whole time.

This doesn't get any easier as the laps roll on

In my race I knew I was not trying to win but just trying to not get dominated. I rode strong and hard and was riding near the back of the A's and felt myself remembering all the pains that come with cross racing the back aches, the arms being vibrated almost off the bars, and almost constant lack of air. When I thought I was nearing the finish I looked up at the lap board hoping to see 2 laps left and it read 5 laps. That is a lot of laps when you feel like you are gonna fall off your bike.

I kept it pinned as best as I could but I was loosing steam. Then a challenge started to come my way, Steve Hauck a singlespeed racer was gaining on me and about to catch me, I held him off for the last lap and half and then heard that horrible pop off my front tube blowing up. Shit happens....... no reason to get mad. I finished off 60 minutes of riding with running a mile as hard as I could with my bike to finish DFL. But a DFL in my book is always better than a DNF.

So the season has started with dust and mud, mechanicals and many smiles. It only gets harder, cause as you race better you have to ride harder, which is fine in my book.