My Very First Cyclocross Race

by JR

Today I finally entered what for me was to be a stab at scaling my very own Mt. McKinley, I can't say it was Everest although it did feel like that at times but because it was in my backyard or very close to it, I have to say it was more like scaling Mt. Mckinley. My very first cyclocross race. Despite having gone to the course various times and various times not being able to climb certain ledges of grass, I decided to throw good money at the event and sign up. Part of it is for the very same reasons you sign up to do any type of athletic event, the challenge. I figured that the worse that could happen is that I somehow would get tangled up with someone else or manage to run into a tree ( I escaped the first option but glided into the second during a practice run. I guess I just figured I couldn't apply enough pressure to the brakes to avoid getting up close to the tree and its limbs.) Getting past that small or rather large obstacle, I still was in for the ride or the test of endurance. How hard could it be to ride up and down for 30 minutes? Well the answer to that is VERY HARD! I felt that I was not in a good position to start but I tried to stay with the first wave of riders and felt like I wasn't doing tooo poorly at it until the course hit the twin 6 inch blocks of railroad ties. I so wanted to try to bunny hop the front tire over but at the last minute-bad mistak- opted to get off my bike and run across both squared pieces of wood that I would look upon with disdain in the next two laps. As I ran across my bike didn't feel that heavy but it did have weight but what bothered me more is that people flooded past me like a faucet on full blast. I was well aware that I had lost any chance of finishing with the top third of the pack or at the tail end, now I had to hope to either catch on to those who flooded past me or to stay with the next group of riders that was clamoring behind me. I got on and then realized that one of my worst things is lack of technique and gliding in and around trees takes some... technique. I stumbled putting my foot down what seemed like every u turn around each tree. Finally at the run up I picked up my bike which seemed a tad bit heavier but not unstable. Ran up and on again, clipped and off.

I took off perhaps too fast as I made the right hand turn I pedaled as fast as I could and suddenly realized with a huge DOY! That another right hand turn was just a few feet away. I hit the brakes, maybe a bit too hard and I heard wheels and brakes screech to which I thought, "Wow that person behind me is sort of close” and then I felt the sensation of being pulled side to side from behind and realized, "Ut-oh, I believe I am fish tailing." For some odd reason my instinct told me to release breaks, good, but then I stood up as if to help my balance. For some reason I did not completely lose control and took the turn in what I can only picture in my head, grace. Of course since no one I knew was there I have no way of confirming that it was done with grace but that is my story. I then heard a woman behind me ask, "Are you okay." She was talking to me and I wasn't sure why she asked that but I replied, "Yeah, thanks." and she said, "Just adrenaline I guess." Oh so she was behind me at some point and saw my “almost wipe out on the pavement area” and what I thought was a graceful save but what probably looked like a child learning to ride a tricycle almost tipping. I continued to ride up and managed to get up a steep little incline only to have to step out because a person had fallen just in front of me and freaked me out. I clipped in and on I went. I went down a sharp right down hill towards the highway fence, no issues and hoped to go up the next right hand embankment with a right turn, I got up and then denied! I stepped out of and then in. Damn it. Still I got on quicker than expected and made the rest of the turns. Strange I know, not expected for me to make those little climbs and twists but I did.

Then I raced along to another hill climb near the baseball diamond and I made the crucial decision that I wanted to make the climb so I shifted but sadly into my granny gear. I have not made that climb previously but made it and the turn today but it was not in a bigger gear. While I know that I wanted to make it in a bigger gear I was still satisfied that I at least made it up and around. But didn't make it up the next one since I found 2 other riders going up it and my nerves got the best of me. Unclipped but back on at the top and about to face the tree I made friends with earlier in the day. This time I did not get close and personal but just winked at it as I continued. After some twists and turns that I tried not to brake on and was successful half the time, I made it to the sand pit only to make it a 1/4 of the way through before falling. UP and out and around again and more and more people passed me.

By the time I got to the barriers the second time my bike felt as if someone had added a good 8 pounds to it. It was heavy to lift and run over with. The second pass through the sand I made it to the end and had to put my foot down for the right hand turn out of it over a small wooden lip. In my mind, it was fine, I made it through 98% so that was fine. I was beginning to overheat and wanted to get rid of the arm warmers and a base layer. I was able to unzip and pull down my arm warmers but that was all I could do. I do not think I even got a chance to drink anything during the entire race. The third time up and around the climb near the baseball diamond, where I had shifted to my granny gear to make, my rear wheel hit something and caused my upright position to suddenly become perpendicular. I got up after several people asked if I was okay. I was.

The third time facing the barriers I could barely hoist my bike up an inch. It felt like it was an old 10 speed from youth. It was heavy and I said as much to those around the barriers. But I knew the end was soon so I raced off to the twists and turns created by the yellow police tape. The sand trap was next. I raced to trying to get speed so I could have less to ride through and I did. I made it again to the edge of the right hand turn and my foot was out and I was out of there, just hoping to end the misery. I was overheated and wanted to finish. I felt as if the broom sweeps were licking at my heels instead of the riders that were previously there at the beginning.

I did notice as I notice in every event I pay a fee to enter, that crowd support is SOOO important and motivational. It was no different for this event. I had my husband, several friends and new people I had met that day that learned my name and cheered me on during the first two laps. It was a crucial thing for me to hear that during certain moments especially when the head games begin and the devil on the your shoulder chatter starts and yaps into your ear and brain, "WHY are you doing this? You are not going to win or anything, just stop! No one cares. Just stop, you will feel better immediately. You won't be hot, you could take a cool drink and relax and the misery will be over. Just stop!" It was during those moments when hearing someone cheer you on that you realize that you can dig a little deeper. The third lap was especially hard because most of the people that had cheered me on were no longer at the back stretch section, nor were the new people I met that day and in fact most of the spectators were no longer there, which is why I was so sure that the broom sweeper would soon tap my shoulder asking me to exit the course. Except my husband was still there on the back stretch and he cheered me on, which helped me get through the last twists before the sand trap was going to try and pull me into its vise grip. While I am not sure if I was DFL, I know that I finished it and rode as hard and as best I could. There is always room for improvement but that will have to wait for perhaps another race.