Fair Hill CX 2016

I registered for Fair Hill two months ago. What a wild ride it has been since then.

I spent the past week doubting my ability to race. For me, it’s much more of a mental strain than a physical one. Seeing so many friendly faces for the first time since my brother’s death was going to be an emotional experience. I knew that going into this race, which is why I made a deal with myself...get there early, ride a few laps and see how you feel. 

There were lots of hugs and a couple of tears, but I felt pretty good.

Maybe he had a hand in this or maybe he didn’t, but I’d like to think that today, it was my little brother who taught me that I am stronger than I think.

A fourth place finish, 120 ounces of water and I was on my way to Jo Jo’s Super Dogs for pancakes! I have no idea where this CX season is going to take me, but I do know that it will be delicious!

Fair Hill CX

There are times when I am so focused on training and racing that weeks can pass without notice. Last weekend I was on an adventure in Texas. I sat in a car for too many hours, spent quality time with my brother and his family, drank beer and ate tacos. After four days, bikes were the furthest thing from my mind. It took a lot of strength to get up when my alarm went off at 6am on Saturday morning. A post-race stop at Iron Hill was good motivation.

I’m just going to come out and say it, the races have been really predictable this year. Granted, anything can happen, but it rarely does.

After getting pinched at the start I fought my way back to a decent position. By that point, the lead group was out of sight. I spent half an hour in no man’s land and finished in 6th place (as expected).

This is one of my favorite races, which is surprising because it doesn’t play well to my strengths. Maybe that is just what I need. As this season winds down I am already thinking about next year and dipping my toes into some uncharted waters.

Fair Hill CX

aka the day I got the holeshot

aka my first Mac win

As the season has progressed it’s become glaringly obvious that starts are something that I need to work on. I could line up with a bunch of toddlers on tricycles and still not get the holeshot. I spent the past two weeks working on my starts. 

The whistle blew, I took off hard and the holeshot was mine (for the first time, ever). It didn’t take long for a couple people to pass me, one of whom went down on an off camber section, which allowed the lead group to escape. I was able to reel them back in near the end of the first lap and never looked back...literally, I didn’t know how close or far behind second place was...I didn’t want to know. This course “owned” me last year and all I wanted to do was give it 110% until the finish line. 

I won my first MAC race. It was a good day.

Anyone who has never done this race should add it to their schedule
next season. It’s a great course.

FSVS CX

I love cross. Today, it didn't love me back.

The pre-ride went well in the sense that it gave me a game plan for the tricky sections. Then came the call ups...the official lined us up nine across in a space fit for only six or seven riders. We were elbow to elbow. The whistle blew, I was cut off and fought to stay upright. I kept my composure and tried to move up. Then, two riders in front of me crashed on an off camber turn. While they were sorting it out, the rest of the field was gaining distance. I squeezed by, knowing that at this point I had over a minute of ground to make up. We entered the next section of steep, off camber hills and another rider went down. I narrowly avoided being taken down with her.

The field spread out and things settled down on the remaining laps. Out of contention, my focus shifted to riding the corners cleanly and making smooth transitions. It became a much needed practice session because my technical skills aren't very good.

I finished in ninth place, still respectable for a MAC race, but not where I had hoped to be...that's the way it goes in cx...sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes you're the bug. Today, I was the bug. Thankfully, there's good beer and a another race to look forward to.

FSVS CX Post Race Beer: Epic Brewing Company Cross Fever

This was given to me by the most awesome winner of today's race. It reminds me a bit of the Vienna Red at Iron Hill.  I will drink the entire thing in her honor, but mostly because at 4.8% I can.

First State Velo Sport Xross @ Fair Hill

This was a MAC Series race. The 3/4 field was slightly more competitive than the PA Series, where many of the strong Cat 3 women opt to race in the 1/2/3 field. Today, they were my competition.

I warmed up on the course, then it started to rain and I retreated to the car. As appealing as a cyclocross race in the rain may sound, I was thankful that the sun appeared just in time for the start of my race.

3-2-1 Go! And the rest, well, it’s pretty much the same story...heart rate maxed and a huge smile on my face. This course had significantly more climbing than any of the others this season. In fact, the 610 feet of climbing (in 6.6 miles) is more than what I'll do on some 40 mile rides here in the South of Jersey.

On the last lap I caught another rider and was right on her wheel. It was someone I had introduced myself to and chatted with earlier in the day. As we made the turn onto the final stretch I noticed that she was slowing down. Perhaps my breathing wasn’t as loud of a warning sound as I thought it was. I told her to get moving or I was going to pass her. I can’t imagine what someone in a road race would have said to me if I did that. She appreciated the encouragement though and I decided that I would rather gain a friend than another spot in the standings.

I cooled down and headed to the car, only to discover that I was bleeding...blood running down my leg and I have no idea when, where, how that happened...got cleaned up and headed to check out the results...9^th place and the top Cat 4 in the field...that’ll do!

Rolled out and on to Starbucks...let’s make that a Grande Americano, no room...and so hot that I was half way back to the Jerz before I could even take a sip!