I fucking love cyclocross. I fucking love snow. I put a "Snow Stick" Amelia made in the yard to measure it every time there is chance of snow. Been that way since I can remember. Cyclocross is suck ass conditions that separate the men from the boys. It's also like being a kid again. Pretty much anywhere that good cyclocross racers come from the riders show up when the conditions are bad, because that's what it's all about. Not in St. Louis. Yesterday a handful of die hard men and women from our dwindling CX scene showed up, raced hard, shared frustration but ultimately, relished in stories. I fucking lost a race of two I was leading on the last lap becuase I couldn't clip back in and it was the happiest reaction I've had to a race in years. Glad you stayed home? Sell your CX bike and fuck off. You're all dead to me. Kidding, but not really. I don't know what the line in the sand is for Mike numbers wise, but if he pulls the plug or even just pre-emtpively cancels the races due to weather it'll be the suck.
Last week was a real taper week. I did my openers in the snow / ice and could no longer shift by the end. I was feeling saucy as fuck. I was racing at a +10 which I think is the highest I ever have for a CX race and using it as a test run for the State race next weekend, and while the weather definitely through a wrench into the numbers thing for comparison sake, I'll take that over a dry, dusty and bumpy course any day.
We lined up on a barely ridden track with about 4" of snow and a 20 degree windchill. I dressed completely different then I have for a cold race and my hands never had issues. I sweat a ton and felt pretty warm at one point, but it was better than the alternative. It only has taken me 20-ish years of racing to figure that out.
Anthony and I lined up. Mano y Mano, with a handful of SS guys in front of us. They let us off at 1 minute intervals, so it was spread out. My plan was to ride defensively and try to plan an attack. 3 laps in I was unable to clip back in for quite some time and Anthony opened a sizeable gap, I would guess close to 30 seconds. I wasn't optimistic but it was nice to be able to say fuck it and put in the effort and not think too much. I uncorked my fastest lap of the day and was back on his wheel, surprising him a bit. On the penultimate lap Anthony made a mistake in the single track section and I took off and was able to open a decent gap immediately. I had to unclip before the start finish, not even dab, just unclip and could not get back in. I fucked with it out of frustration and then tried to ride it back in, which didn't work either. I made it to the end of the first pavement section before he caught me, and that was that. The gap opened quickly. I was never able to clip back in. I had good legs and the timing was perfect, but sometimes the best laid plans still fail. If I ever have another snow race I will 100% put on a pair of old eggbeaters I have. It would have made a huge difference. It was a great race.
Looking forward to one more race, hoping I can have the legs I know I am capable of having and then looking forward to drinking heavily through the holidays.
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