Cyclocross - What I Now Know.
It's hard. Anything that makes a time trial seem easy is hard. Anything that spikes the heart rate and keeps it there is hard. Having a cross specific bike is better and there is no need to overdress for the cold....you will warm up real fast!
Sure was easier being on the sidelines last season and snapping some photos(wink).
This past weekend was the first of what I will term Super Sundays. I have decided to race the Cyclesmith Cyclocross series this Fall on Sunday mornings and then play my usual afternoon ball hockey. Should be quite the challenge over the course of the next month.
This past Sunday some fellow riders got together on the course with ZS and NL to participate in a club level "what you need to know about cross" shakedown ride in preparation of the first race next week. It was definitely an eye opener for the very reasons I listed above. It was alot of fun in a masochistic sense as cross racing is quite the physically demanding sport. It's one thing to push hard on what is essentially a criterium, albeit on grass, dirt, mud and whatever else is available,but quite another to add the demands of dismounting, hurdling barriers and doing run-ups of short steep climbs. Wow! I now have a deep(er) respect for cx racers!
I'm looking forward to the challenge of the series but have little in terms of aspirations. Racing on my heavy hardtail MTB this season will strictly be used as a shakedown/welcome to the sport introduction with the goal of just finishing the gruelling 45(ish) minute races without imploding!(wink)
Sure was easier being on the sidelines last season and snapping some photos(wink).
This past weekend was the first of what I will term Super Sundays. I have decided to race the Cyclesmith Cyclocross series this Fall on Sunday mornings and then play my usual afternoon ball hockey. Should be quite the challenge over the course of the next month.
This past Sunday some fellow riders got together on the course with ZS and NL to participate in a club level "what you need to know about cross" shakedown ride in preparation of the first race next week. It was definitely an eye opener for the very reasons I listed above. It was alot of fun in a masochistic sense as cross racing is quite the physically demanding sport. It's one thing to push hard on what is essentially a criterium, albeit on grass, dirt, mud and whatever else is available,but quite another to add the demands of dismounting, hurdling barriers and doing run-ups of short steep climbs. Wow! I now have a deep(er) respect for cx racers!
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| Photo courtesy of Clarissa Steinman |
I'm looking forward to the challenge of the series but have little in terms of aspirations. Racing on my heavy hardtail MTB this season will strictly be used as a shakedown/welcome to the sport introduction with the goal of just finishing the gruelling 45(ish) minute races without imploding!(wink)
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