Last Saturday Team Headstrong sponsor Carolina Triathlon hosted the second cyclocross race of its four race series at Cleveland Park in downtown Greenville. The weather was perfect with sunny skies and 60 degree temperatures, so Sam and I decided to pin on a number and make our cyclocross debut. It really wasn’t my first cross race, but I hadn’t raced a cross race in about 10 years. That’s a long enough time to remember how to do the skills and forget how bad it hurts. 2012 Teammate Debbie Gillespie (in her Kenda kit) raced also, but she’s practically an old pro at cross racing now.
Sam raced her mountain bike which is definitely recommended if you’re just getting into it. Having a special cross bike makes a difference on many courses, but you shouldn’t let the lack of a particular bike hold you back from exploring the edges of the sport. Cross bikes are lighter and therefore easier to carry over the barriers and up hills and obstacles too steep to ride, but mtb’s work well enough to have a good time. On some courses, they are rumored to be an advantage too.
Cyclocross racing is a sport made popular by road racing cyclists in the countries of northern Europe during the cold, sloppy winter months. It was a way of keeping fit and competing when the muddy dirt roads got covered with snow. It’s traditionally raced on a road bike with wider tires, lower gearing and cantilever brakes. It involves a mix of pavement and dirt, the latter often turning to mud in the wet winter months. Courses also typically include a few obstacles that can’t be ridden through or over. Stairs, steep muddy hills, logs, wooden barriers, etc. are all fair game for course designers. It’s definitely a mix of road and mountain biking and requires a fair bit of bike handling ability. It also requires some running and this is where the lighter, suspension-less, road-style cross bikes can provide an advantage.
Cross racers (and cross fans for that matter) are…well, fanatical nuts. They love the cold and mud. They love to make noise and cheer on the competitors. They sometimes dress up in funny costumes, and most of them enjoy beer. These are not requirements, but they certainly help make the racing fun. We didn’t have to deal with sloppy, cold conditions this weekend, but we were treated to some rabid cross fans cheering on the action.
I made my Team Headstrong debut this weekend in a borrowed kit and flew my new colors proudly. Neil Browne was nice enough to let me borrow his sweet Cannondale Optimo cross bike, so I didn’t have to lug around my mtb. This was an awesome decision until I started to miss the suspension comfort of my Giant Anthem while navigating the bumpier sections of the course.
Overall, it was a great day for Team Headstrong. We raced hard and gave it our all in front of the home town crowd. In the end, Sam finished 3rd in the women’s open race and collected a nice pair of DeFeet WoollyBully socks as a reward for her suffering. Debbie placed 2nd and scored some oversocks to protect her shoes. I had to settle for an inner satisfaction instead of a prize with my 5th place finish in the master’s race. It was a good effort and we supported Randy and Carolina Triathlon in the process. I encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the next 2 races in the series (Nov 12 and Dec 3 in Cleveland Park). If you don’t want to race, I know Randy can use some help with set up and tear down of the courses. Let’s hope for bright sunshine again for the remaining events.
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