I was going to do my first cyclocross race a couple weeks ago but I chickened out. (Got too busy. …Had never even practiced it.)
Anyway, it’s still that time of year!
It seems like a fun sport. It’s park-based. With beer.
I just ride for fun in the summer so I only get into a bit of shape by autumn. What to do? CX!
I converted my old allrounder sport bike Trek 614 over to CX in a jiffy — took off the fenders and rack and bolted in a smaller 42t chainring — then mounted a pair of 35mm CX tires. I’ve practiced a few times now. What a fun rhythm! It’s easy to toodle down to the park and do a few laps of a steep hill-run, smooth trail ride and park bench hurdles. Cool!
What’s kinda crazy is that I did some CX decades ago. I remember about 1980 when my bro found some skinny knobbies for a Schwinn Voyager he had. We took turns dirt-trackin’ that bike for awhile, but then he chopped out the fork after a series of jumps — he didn’t notice his lengthening wheelbase until too late.
But CX has been part of my study of bike racing culture and lore since I first started this game way back then. I guess XC ski training has always gotten in the way. When the geese start to fly I’m in the mud, all right, but with poles in my hands, doing hill-bounding, trail-running and rollerskiing. And trail prep of my fave homebrew trails. Still, I always had bike racer pals who also headed out into the woods come fall. They always went to a certain local gravel pit. I never did go out with them. Well, my time has finally come!
What’s neat is that it seems like my XC ski skills and styling fit in well with the CX flow. CX is an overall bodywash of exertion. In a half hour the sweat is evenly pouring down my face and I don’t want to stop.
For me outdoor sport has always been about socializing. I wanna go where the gungho people are. But sometimes I lose track of that. The beauty of nature keeps me happy on my own sometimes. Or, I get busy and just want to get out for quick action then get back to everyday life. Or, I back away from clubs and events because they’ve turned into such robo-dude-fests. When I first started outdoor sports, they were part of the cosmic consciousness movement, part of women’s lib. People were partying outside and expanding their minds every which way. Performance was a side effect. Intervals was a word in a few dissertations. I have a little hunch that CX is getting back to the roots a bit. Maybe not all the way back to Castenada, but one can still be thankful. CX is an urbanized form of mtbiking. You could easily do it in a city park. It’s the fixie fad hitting the dirt. Combinations open doors, after all—portals. I’m game!
…I also have a secret weapon on the way. A pal is bartering me a pair of old sewup CX tires. Save a couple pounds, run lower psi, narrower—faster! It’s the pro way to go. Let’s see if it helps me in the C-Group! : )
My bro and a pal have also taken it up this season so I thought I’d join em. The more the merrier! It doesn’t hurt that it’s a raging global bike-party fad with dozens of new events around the state.
So, here’s props to CX!
UPDATE: I got the sew-ups and used them today for the first time. They’re easier to accelerate out of corners, less sensitive to gearing, save 1.5-2 lbs on the bike, make the bike easier to do hill run-ups, and give a livelier, cushier ride since they can run at 35psi, rather than the 40 of the clinchers. Supa!
Kisscross for My First Race! I hope to make it to the 11/29 Kisscross race in Holland, MI. They name it that for “K.I.S.S.” It’s a flat $20 to enter. You count your own laps. When you finish you get your ranking by putting your number chit, which has a hole in it, over a stick on a little stand, so it goes on top of the numbers who came in ahead of you. The race venue includes the local college stadium…and its stairs. Here’s a link to a report on last year’s race. They had a trombone rooting them on. hupunited.blogspot.com/2008/12/kisscross-8-holland-municipal-stadium.html. HQ: kisscross.com. I’ll have a table of OYB goodies on display! Beer-drinkin’ bikers, ahoy!
(My photo shows the bike inside our new OYB HQ garage! Well, two walls of it. My bro is building us a new one. He’s using full-dimensioned (green!) wood that he sawed from a huge white pine that fell next to our house. That’s recycling for ya! Other homestead news is that I just installed a wood stove in the basement and chimney alongside the house. Lotsa work, but darn, it’s toasty in here now!)
