Get that hole shot!

Racing cyclocross is probably the most dynamic athletic experience I’ve had yet. Every moment is intense: cornering through mud, sand and rocks, hammering in every straight-away and out of each corner, hovering in the balance between complete pain and a steady rhythm, it’s a far cry from the roadie experience. A few laps into my first real ‘cross race this season I found myself wondering why the hell I was there, only to be overwhelmed afterward with a craving for more.

Sunday’s race was the first ‘cross race I’ve done in Santa Fe. It was a surprisingly challenging and refreshingly different course, with two stair run-ups, lots of tight, technical turns, a rocky descent and some fast single track. I opted to do the Men’s B race since it was a bigger field and longer race, but as it turned out I was racing against five other strong women racers.

In keeping with my m.o. from last year’s ‘cross season, I went hard from the gun, using my sprint to open up little gaps right away. For the first lap or two I was in the top five, trying my best to be smooth in the sandy, rocky corners and keep the pace high in the straight-aways. By the end of lap two I was caught by a pro woman mountain biker who showed me a thing or two about cornering at speed in loose terrain. As the race started to wear on me I began reminding myself of the basics I should focus on: looking for the exit in the corners, weighting the outside pedal, breaking smoothly and not wasting energy in mounting or dismounting. More than anything, I knew I just needed to race more often and practice those skills.

In the end, I finished 3rd of the women and 8th overall. I’m planning to keep ‘cross racing as a secondary focus in my training this fall, but really, all I’m thinking about right now is the next race.