Crossing 4 Canines Cyclocross race - CycleCyclocross

Well...this is not what i trained for....very different!!!! Tri and CX could not be two more different beasts, but it was soooooo much fun!!!!

So we get to the start and there are 35 of us in the Mens Cat 4, it was the largest field of the day. So i start off in the very back, on purpose, i did not want to get in the way of the guys that would be competing, not just trying to finish. The RD does a countdown and then blows a whistle for the start, as soon as the whistle goes off i yell "shotgun!!!!" cause i knew i would be last up the hill, lol. So we go down the paved/rocky section and up a hill, i am holding back already set to pass 3 guys in front of me, get to the top where it turns to grass and go by 2 guys with ease, the first bunch is already checking out on the field. Go around the corner and am on the heals of 2 more riders, we get around the next set of corners and i go passed them. On to the first dismount and i do a great dismount and hobble over the two barriers, which were quite high also, hop back on and go up to the next turn around down and around and up to the steep runup, off the bike and take a few steps and AARRRRGGGHHH....that hurt, i forgot about my calf.....ouch.....had to hobble up and heal toe it up hill...that is not fun...get to the flat section and get back on bike, through the rough area back onto dirt trail and then grass, come down hill and around corner and there is the next dismount, off bike limp over and carry my bike up the woodchip climb up. It was ridable, but i was having a hard time climbing out of the saddle so i walked it. Get to the top and jump back on and down the other side, through another set of wood chips around a corner and back into a grassy field. I was flying on this section and made up time on two guys in front of me, passed them on the last hard climb and back down to the start....and i was already gassed and wheezing for air. the second lap was uneventful, although at this point i was walking the barriers and run ups, the third lap i was getting ready to pass a guy when he wiped out in a powerslide, it was really cool to watch and he saved it and i said WOW that was Cool as i went by, he passed me at the double barrier and i passed him at the u turn up top, i get to the steep run up and dismount and my ace bandage that i had wrapped around my leg got caught on the seat and comes undone, so i get off my bike and take like 3 mins fiddleing around with it to either re do it or take it off, i end up taking it off, as 5 guys go past me as i play with myself...arrrggghhh. Get back on the bike and now have to repass those 5 guys and the leader goes by me for the first time, i am doing 8 mins laps he must be doing 6's, he is flying, a little while later 2-3-4 go by me, they are never going to catch #1 he is checked out!!! by lap 5 i am like OMG i am dead, i am walking all the barriers and runups and just trying to not die and throwup at the same time, lol. I never did realize how many laps we were supposed to do, i never hit my watch to start and did not realize there was a lap chart on the left, so i was riding blind. I am just trying to hang on and on lap 7 the leader goes by me a second time...I WAS LAPPED 2X...hahahaha there is an ego deflater!!! I tell him nice job as he goes by, he says thanks, hang in there this is the last lap!! so i try to stay with him for a bit, but at the runup he is gone after i walk it again and he sprints up it. get to the finish and i am like THANK GOD.....results show 19/35 with 26 riders finishing and 8 dnf's and one no-start.

I planned on doing the Cat3/4 race also, this was 2 hours later, i started shotgun, hung with 3 other guys waiting to pass them and the rear started to wash out, i was also gassed, i got off at the double and checked my tire and the rear was flatting, so i finished the first lap DFL and struggled with a deflating tire for another, crossed the line, almost bit it on the uphill and pulled over and said UNCLE....NO MAS.... Finito, put a fork in me i am done...all in all a good first time, i will not do any more doubles this year, it is not what i have trained for and i was completely gassed after the first race.

Lets see....how about interval sprint training instead of long HIM training. Not get hurt the day before a race....lose 50 lbs... put another 1000 miles on my bike over the 2k i have already done.

Rode around did more stretching, watched the 35+ Cat 1-3 and 45+ Cat 1-3, talked with some guys, ooggled really cool Cross bikes and went baby furniture shopping.


injury weight and lack of cross specific training. The only thing i do really well is dismount and mount, everything else needs work


This was a good race for their first, not much goes on in between races, and there is nothing to do while waiting. Not sure if this normal?? Cannot wait to do another.