Saturday September 15 was the first race for me in nearly two years, unless you count all the time spent visualizing cyclocross while in Belgium last winter! Hopefully all that traipsing around in the mud in Belgium and eating all the frites with mayo will pay off! Despite the heavy rains the day before, the weather was very un-Belgian with mild weather and variable clouds. The course was fast and dry, except for one muddy trench that kept getting bigger ever lap. Not much in the way of climbing, but lots of fun off-camber stretches. The biggest challenge, technically, were a set of off camber twists and turns around a series of trees. Tight line with no room for error, or longer loopier line?
I just managed to be old enough to sneak into the 45+ category this year, so I toed the line with a field of 15 riders for the 40 minute race. Off the line, I settled into my typical 5-10th slot in the first lap, deciding not to go blasting out hard and just get back into race rhythm. All was fine in that mode, then I had some good battles with a few other riders. Culminated in a dude sliding out in a fast downhill corner right in front of me and my somehow managing to stay upright, not lose momentum, and not ride over him. Usually that's ME doing the crashing and sliding out, but not this time for once!
As Jamie wrote, I ended up 7th but very happy with how I rode today, especially for a first race after pretty much 2 years away from competition. The thing I love about cycling and CX is that you really do never stop learning. This time, I experimented with much lower pressures than what the 28/32 psi front/rear combo I've settled on in the past, doing the limbo down to 22/25 this time. It made SUCH a huge difference, as I was slipping and sliding during warmups, but rode really well and clean throughout the race. Also learned to not put so much weight on the front wheel in corners, letting the bike and tires do their job and railing around corners rather than diving in and getting stuck in them. Overall I was lacking some straightaway speed, but the cornering and bike handling was great!
Happy with the start and looking forward to the heavy block of racing coming up! Thanks to our sponsors for making it happen!
Cheers,
Stephen
- Team905
- Niagara Region, Canada
- Team905 Cycling Team is dedicated to providing cyclist an opportunity to be involved in a competitive, but also community focused cycling team. Our objective is to remain active while contributing to an eco-friendly life style and providing unique visibility to local businesses that support our team. We will be respectful to our fellow cyclist and citizens in an effort to grow awareness about cycling benefits, physically, mentally, and environmentally.
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