Independence Cross

I had not signed up for Independence Cross by the time that registration closed on Wednesday evening. The listing on Bikereg made it appear as if it was a women's open field and there were only two Cat 4 women registered. On Thursday afternoon, registration reopened and I received clarification that there would be a separate start for the Cat 4 women. At this point, a few more had registered and of course I couldn't stay away.

It was still dark outside when I arrived to register and pre-ride the course. Daylight arrived quickly, only to reveal two unfriendly sights, the "pain steps" and the beach, which were both parts of the course.

Each course has exposed me to a different element, so in that sense every race has felt like my first. This course had a lot of sand...sandy trails in the woods, sand pits and a stretch of beach, which required riders to dismount and shoulder their bikes.

And, just like last weekend in West Chester, I became more comfortable as the race progressed. I found myself picking better lines, braking at the appropriate times and riding in the sand without hesitation. None of this, however did much to ease the comfort of the "pain steps" which, by the final lap of the race appeared to be eight feet tall...and that short stretch of beach...yeah, that was at least 400 meters...and my bike...yeah, that weighed about 50 pounds.

So far, my focus during cross races has been on 1) staying upright and 2) not launching myself into an exercise induced asthma attack. If I am successful at those two things while passing a bunch of riders, then it's a good day in my book. Saturday was a good day. In fact, it was my best this season, placing third in my field.