Translated:
We are going to run you through the dry corn fields that are so bumpy you're going to need dental work and a CAT scan afterward. The woodsy trail is so tight and narrow that your front wheel will meet your rear wheel coming and you'll feel like a pinball, bouncing off the trees and getting matching bruises on each shoulder. And lest we forget... for the women, we have something special. We are going to wet down the approach to the bridge so that you have ample opportunity to get muddy!
Yeah!
Sorry this is a little late. It's been a weird week. But, I wanted to get this up, as I have now officially competed in three (count 'em 1-2-3) cyclocross races. AND, I threw it in with the Women's A field, no sand-baggers here.
I rode up to Rickreall with Heather, Sandra, and a slightly "happy" Jim. We approached the hazelnut/ corn farm just as the Men's single speed division was getting started. The course immediately made an impression on us as being not-so-much beginner friendly as we watched
several guys attempt to ride down into the drainage ditch, work a 180 in the gravel and dirt only to dead-wheel it trying to get out of the ditch. Hmmm.. we were all thinking we would attempt it the first lap and run it the rest.
Waiting for the start of the race....
The race started a little late, owing to the fact that the crew had to "build-up" the approach ramp to a narrow bridge after each race because the loose sandy dirt kept falling away. Then one crew member must have thought "Wouldn't it be cool.. if we wet it down? Then the loose dirt wouldn't fall away". For all intense purposes, this would have worked, except they got a little overzealous with the water and turned it into a mudslide. So, 400 yds from the start line, the Women's A field hopped over a barrier and attempted to claw their way up this ramp. The first rider made it okay... the second, not so much. The third (me) and fourth (the girl next to me) were impeded by #2 who almost dropped her bike on my head. Seeing this develop... I put a firm hand on her butt and pushed her up onto the bridge. However, my physics teacher would have at this moment reminded me of the law of conservation of energy, and I slid down the ramp in the mud and back into the barrier.
So, I had to let every one go in front me and then took a running leap at the ramp to get up and over. At this point, I got caught by the Women's B field that had started 30 seconds back. But, I managed to stay ahead of them and pick my way into the single track section. Both legs and one arm were muddied from this ordeal and as I came out of the woods, I heard one guy remark to his buddy "How'ld I miss the mud wrestling part?" HEHE.
So, from this point on it was just me trying to catch and pass the Women's A field in front of me.... not as easy as you might think. The first rider was gone... superstar, she would beat me by half a lap. But, I put on enough speed to catch 2nd place around the 5th lap (out of 9, I think). I got a little help from my teammates on the course who let me pass just before or in the single track and took slightly longer to pull over for my pursuers. I attempted the 180 in the drainage every time and even managed to ride up it once. I got major props from the spectators for hoping on the bike on top of the bridge and riding down the other side unclipped (no small feat).
The Finnisher demonstrating the bridge technique while Sandra and Heather wait for racers to come out of the single track section.
And in the end, I was muddy, out of breath, numb from the elbows down because of the corn field (and thankful I was riding 30 psi in the tires), and smiling ear-to-ear. I love this sport.
Oh, and the next morning, I managed to run a road race 10K personal best at the Fall Festival of 37:39. Yeah, baby!
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