Let's take a look back at my first cross race. It was a nice cool fall afternoon in Golden, CO, 2013. I had my first cross bike for a while before and always had fun going out and riding the trails outside my neighborhood. I spent a little bit of time doing some mounting/dismounting practice with my team in some different grassy areas. Cross always scared me, I mean, who likes crashing? Oh and by the way, I hate running, that's why I ride bikes. These kids are crazy to like both at the same time. 'Cause that's all I thought cross was. It took some time for them to convince me but eventually I get the nerve to show up for a race. I don't remember the race exactly because sometimes the brain blocks bad memories, but here is generally how the race went. I roll off the line with about 20 other people, I know that on the road I'm faster or as fast as most of them. I'm thinking I could easily get top ten. The first lap, I head out with the group. As the lap continues something feels wrong. People are starting to pass me. I was going slow, was my brake rubbing? But I don't want to stop, I'm giving everything to try and keep up. All of a sudden, I slide out around a tight corner. I wasn't going too fast and had no idea what happened. I come to the finish line so far back I decided to stop and see what was wrong. I had two flats. Apparently they were both slowly going flat the whole lap. I didn't finish that race. For me, that was a terrible experience so I just avoided cross for the rest of the season and the next year.
This year I started riding those trails in my neighborhood again, just messing around. I felt fast and strong. I figured wow, maybe I could do well in cross this fall. I changed my thought on cross. The key is to stop thinking of cross as a crash-fest and just have fun with it. That's how I came in today. I showed up, registered and started riding around the course for warm up. It's one of those days that's just a little too hot but I'm feeling good and picking up the speed each lap. As I accelerated, I entered a corner too fast and nearly slid out. The air went out of my front wheel so fast that I ground to a halt. There was about 15 minutes to the start of my race. It took me about five minutes to run to my car a quarter mile away. I rushed change the tube and made it to the start with about a minute to go before the whistle. Filled with adrenaline, I think, I feel even better right now. As the group of about fifty people started, people were knocking into each other to make the transition from 10 wide to three wide and then single file. The whole first lap was just the spreading out of the field. The second lap, I situated myself and started picking riders off right and left. I moved up from about 40th place to somewhere around 20th. As we entered the third and final lap, (they are eight minute laps), I felt I could probably catch a few more and finish top 15. About halfway through, I notice my rear tire going flat. Crap, only about three minutes left, I can push it and make it to the finish. Nope, that didn't happen. As I gingerly rounded a corner my rear tire nearly rolled off of the rim. Now it's completely flat, so I just jumped off and started running. That last three minutes is almost only riding, so running, it took me about five. Those 20 people I passed during the second lap started to pass me. I ran all the way through the finish. I left kinda pissed, but felt that before that happened, I was actually having fun and enjoying myself. I'll be continuing to race cross but will need to get some new tubes, and tires, maybe just a spare set of wheels. Or a new bike altogether.
I might add some pictures in the coming days, if anyone took any. Stay tuned as I'll continue to share these experiences as they happen.
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