Cyclocross

So cyclocross…

Last Saturday was my first cyclocross race in Jackson Park located on the south side of the city just past the field museum via lake shore drive.

This race is the first of a series called the Chicago Cyclocross Cup that runs from September thru I believe January? The points and structure of the series is very similar to the Illinois cup that runs throughout the road racing season. I have to honest though, it seems like this series is taken a little more seriously than the ICA cup.

All of you Chicagoland residents know what a pitiful and depressing day last Sunday was, it was nothing but overcast skies and intermittent showers all day long. While Corie and I were driving into the city from Naperville I was thinking to myself “I wonder how many people will actually show up in this weather”. It didn’t take long after arriving at the park to realize my thoughts were those of a true roadie that had no idea what the CX culture was like. Yes, I had heard of the European like hooligans, costumes, and alcoholic post-race recovery beverages, but I had no idea how fun the environment was! On a day that would have cut road races fields in half and sent all 5 spectators indoors this place was jamming! All I can say is I truly enjoyed being there and getting to race almost seemed like an afterthought, almost.

Now the race…

As I said it was obvious that the weather didn’t stop anyone from pining on a number so I was pretty confident that the 100 riders pre-registered for this race were here and ready to ride. Due to the size of the field I knew that starting position would be important so I made sure to be at the staging area 20 plus minutes or so before the start of the race.

Just a quick note for those of you who don’t shave their legs for competitive reasons, Cyclocross is the red headed step child of road racing and mountain bike cross country racing. Meaning that you take a slightly modified road bike and race it around an off road fully flagged course while navigating obstacles such as sharp S-curves, off camber up/down hills, barriers, (forcing you to jump off the bike and then quickly back on all the while maintaining forward momentum (hopefully))sand pits, low trees, and much much more. This course also included a turn that in the slick conditions would gracefully deposit you in a pond should you not handle your bike properly.

Back to the racing, after the aggressive back and forth for starting position I was second row dead center for the start. After the whistle blew I knew it would be a crazy dash for the first turn but I had no idea just how nuts it would really be! Let’s just say next time the whistle blows its game on punks!

After witnessing the mayhem of the start I was able to settle into a bit of a groove navigating the obstacles and riding fast enough not to get passed (much) but not so fast as to eat it on every turn. It seemed like the couple times someone would try and pass me it would be headed into a corner and seconds later I would be running over their dumb A$$ as they thrashed about on the ground after dumping their bike. In fairness I wasn’t exactly making up ground on the riders in front of me but I certainly wasn’t falling behind.

I finished the short 35min race in 38^th place, not too bad considering the conditions and my novice but certainly not satisfying. I am looking forward to racing in more controllable conditions and hopefully placing higher in the field but I absolutely enjoyed every minute of my new found down and dirty method of getting my competitive “rocks” off.

I will be in London, Paris, and Brussels next week for work so keep an eye out for some quick post and fun pictures.

That’s all for now…