Submitted by: Eric Seale
RMEC members: Are you looking for some off season ‘cross training’? Want to increase your anaerobic threshold? Like how you feel like a kid when running trails? Well, here is your answer: Cyclocross. Go ahead, Google or YouTube it. Here is a starter
YouTube link. Warning, they guy is odd – probably from doing too many cyclocross races and suffering brain damage from oxygen deprivation!
I had heard about it for years, had lots of friends at Cannondale race it and watched videos of world championships, but had not tried it until last weekend. I competed in event #2
on the calendar in Raleigh on Sunday as a CX4 racer – which is supposed to be the beginner level. I finished 58th of 64, and because it is a timed race (30 minutes for my race) I only managed 4 laps where as the winner did 5 – but he never did physically lap me, they just told me I was done as I was so far behind there was no reason for me to go around again.
A cyclocross race can be ridden on a modified road bike or, as in this series, sometimes they allow mountain bikes as well. It is a great spectator event as the laps are usually between 1.5 and 2 miles on a circular lap course in a park or field where one can see different parts of the course from one vantage point. Most of the big events have a beer garden. They take place rain, snow or shine, the season is typically October to February, a course has a minimum 200 yard straight to start and then it has lots of turns, obstacles, and hills and takes place on mud, sand, grass, rocks, gravel, dirt, pavement and sometimes staircases. Sound like when you were a kid on your first two wheeler playing at the back of the yet to be completed neighborhood? Now imagine all those things your Mom’s told you not to do on your bike at that time… and now you CAN! The big difference… when you go anaerobic after 10 seconds, and stay there, you have lung burn for a LONG time after. When you are no longer a kid it takes a while for that to go away, BUT, IF it hurts.. it HAS to be good for your conditioning, right?
I think the best way to get you fired up for this is to describe the first lap as I remember it. And since I was suffering from severe hypoxia after the first 200 yards, my memory probably isn’t to be completely trusted. Anyway, you start from a standing, mass start. I made the mistake of starting from the back of the pack, which I won’t do again. I did a reconnaissance lap in the 15 minutes between the end of the previous race and the start of mine and thus wound up in about row 7 on the start line. I had to work around a bunch of slower starters, suffered burn out and they all passed me again anyway. Oh, well… I will know more for next time. You ready? Here we go..
Instructions, anticipation, man, some of these guys have 5 gallon buckets for thighs, I think I am going to get smoked, OK, there is another fat, guy with skinny, hairy legs, gotta beat him…whistle blows, jump on the pedals, sprint, clip in the second foot, pull, push, pedal harder, sprint, dodge, pass, get passed, repeat, dodge, dodge, sprint. Up the incline, now, brake, 90 degree left, watch that wheel, wow, that guy is close, hey! Don’t cut me off! Oops, sorry, just cut about 10 people off, ha ha!! Sprint down the decline, 90 degree right, dodge that rider, ramp up the curb, whoa!! Too fast, airborne, land, hit the brakes, HA! Hit that guy, Hey, who just hit me?! Pedal, pedal, into the trees, pine straw, too fast, brakes, uh oh, sliding, not stopping, look out! Pile up ahead, go to the right, got around it, 110 degree left turn, can’t see, too much dust, very loose dirt, sliding, choking, gagging, coughing… hey, was that my lung? Can’t breathe… is it the dust or that my lungs can’t get enough air? Must be the dust, I CAN’T be THAT out of shape, it has only been 500 yards?!
Concentrate, pedal, up through the woods, dodge, pass, get passed, getting passed much more often than I am passing darn it, onto grass, off the curb back on pavement, sprint, 120 yards, up the curb, on grass, lock up the brake, slide through the 90 degree left, 20 feet, 180 degree right, duck! Under the Cedar tree limbs, quit running into me!! Miss the mud, 10 feet, 90 degree left, off camber on grass sloping away left to right, don’t dig a pedal into the slope, accelerate! Brake! 180 degree turn up the hill, sprint, 25 feet, 90 degree right, up the hill, 90 degree turn, loose dirt, don’t fall, I said quit running into me, oh, sorry, just hit the guy ahead in the turn around the tree, sprint! 40 feet, Crazy spectator leaning over the course tape waving a really loud cow bell in my face yelling at me to GO GO GO!! What does he think I am trying to do? I can’t help it if my tongue is getting in the way of my wheel! Quick right, quick left, down a grassy hill, whoa! Lock up the brakes, 180 degree right, back up the hill, wait, only half way up, 180 degree left! What? In the middle of the hill? OK, downhill, build speed! Off the curb, on pavement, sprint, 20 feet, left, back up the curb and airborne!
NO BRAKES in mid air, land, brakes, 90 degree right turn, pedal, pedal, pedal, speed, passed again, what am I doing to be so slow?! Off the curb, pavement, 20 feet, asphalt transition onto dirt/gravel maintenance road, airborne again, gotta stop that, can’t steer or stop in the air, land, pedal, pedal, right turn off the path on onto the embankment, down, brakes, sliding, back up the embankment, on the maintenance road again, sprint, brake, down the embankment, 90 degree left, back up to the maintenance road, double track, dirt, gravel, sprint, 20, 25 mph, oops, too fast, wheel washing out in gravel, foot dab, whew saved it, darn passed by a couple more, pedal, pedal, OK, completely winded and only half way around the course, pedal, pedal, wish I had some water, sweeping left, jump that water gulley, made it, no puncture, too fast again, 90 degree left, lock up the brakes, sliding, made it pedal, now up hill, drat, wrong gear, stand, pedal, push it, ha! Passed you back, Er, not so ha, feeling like I could puke.. ok, forgot to eat, nothing there, HA again. 90 degree left off the gravel, onto sandy dirt, pedal, 30 feet, 180 degree right. Whoa, wash out, foot dab, back on the pedal, ped- hey, thanks for running into me dude, what did he say? Sorry or Sucker? Can’t hear too well, too much blood pumping in my ears, good news is that blood is still pumping, not dead, pedal, accelerate, top of the rise, down into the woods, pine straw and dusty again, pass that guy, yes!
NO! too fast, in the roots, almost a nose stand! Turn, darn, he passed me back, go get him.. I think I can, I think I can, nope, I can’t, legs.. feel.. like.. lead.. pedal, pedal, out of the woods, on grass, brakes, 90 degree left, down hill, faster, go, go, sweeping 90 degree right, sprint, sweeping 90 degree right, OK there are the obstacles. Now, easy… right foot out, swing behind seat, step through the gap between the left foot on the pedal and the bikes, now, grab the frame, unclip left foot and jump down, alright, no face plant, pick up bike, keep moving, jump, run, jump the second, what was that? Oh, cool Noah and Heather cheering! Smile, don’t crash in front of them!!!
Jump back on the bike, gotta look cool, ow! hmmm, that hurt, need more padding or better aim next time… pedal, sprint, accelerate, up the hill on the grass, hard 90 degree left, down the hill, 90 degree left, 90 degree right, over the wooden bridge, 90 degree right, pedal, 90 degree left, down hill, on the flat grassy ground, pedal, sprint, 90 degree right, off the curb.. uhm, concrete curb in the GRASS? What? Pedal, the hill climb you can do…gasp. nope, you can’t, off the bike, run up the loose dirt, run, run, trip, quick! Use the bike, catch yourself, OWW! Holy smokes that hurts, pedal into my calf… that will leave a mark! Good news, pain in my lungs is worse than my leg, maybe they will cancel each other out, positive thoughts, good, good. Back on the bike, pedal through the chicane, right, left, sprint, 90 degree right, 20 feet, 180 degree right, 10 feet, 90 degree left, 10 feet, 90 degree left, 15 feet, don’t hit that fence, 180 degree right, 10 feet, 90 degree left, chicane, right, left, down the hill, don’t crash, don’t crash, made it, 90 degree left, oh no, off camber, too fast, sliding, whew did not crash, pedal, up hill, 45 degree right, 45 degree left, up the grass, onto the pavement, 90 degree left, sprint, over the start finish line, lap 1 done, can not freaking breathe, must rest, oh, no you don’t, not going to let you pass me now!! Pedal sprint…
So, what do you think RMEC? Are you ready to go? You have to admit that it sounds like being a kid again. If you look at the photo, I am really smiling in the picture. And, yes, the kid passed me when I crashed into the tape lining the course twice in 60 feet on lap 3, which was about 90 seconds after this photo was taken after the hill climb.
Anyone have some property with sand, grass, mud, hills, concrete, gravel, and doesn’t care if we make a course there? I promise to till in any yakking I do! Free compost! ;-)
Note that the time has changed to 7:00 am for this weekend. It is too dark right now at 6:30 to start a big group run and still be safe. According to our long run schedule, we will have route of 4, 8 and 12 mile option.
