I hold the mic ‘gangsta style’
This weekend was our cyclocross state championships. I was racing in the age graded category of 35 to 40 year olds. To fill our racing field the 40 to 45 age graded racers were included. As I warmed up I told a buddy of mine that a victory for me would be top 10. I got a good warm-up and secured the prime position on the front row of the starting grid. At the whistle I was off and three minutes into the race I was passed by 13 riders. I set a tempo that I knew I could maintain and hoped to reel in over enthusiastic racers. I passed two riders to finish 12th overall, and ninth in my category of 35 to 40 year olds! For the amount of training I’ve been doing, I’m happy. I can’t say this enough, but Tim Johnson’s cyclocross tips really helped me out on this course as it reminded me of the CrankBrothers G.P. course in Massachusetts. Like that east coast course, it was mostly grass with several off-camber turns that required you to know how to handle your bike. One tough portion of the course was a steep grass run up that, I would guess, to be 25 yards in length. That was a killer. There was a barrier at the bottom that required all, except cx U23 stud Chance Noble who bunny-hopped it, to dismount and then trot up the steep incline. Did I mention it was a killer? I felt confident on the bike and how it’s going to react, however the legs aren’t there to back my ‘cross skills. There is a race the 23rd of December and another race popped up on the calendar for January 7th in San Diego. I’ll see how motivated I am to wake up early and drive south for that one. There is supposed to be a lot of sand involved in that course. I hate sand.
That wasn’t my only big thrill that day. Dave Towle had flown in the night before and was the announcer. I’ve known Dave for a while, he is a fan of ROAD and I’d consider him a friend. Anyways, Dave invited me to announce during the race and trying to not sound too cheesy, it was a great privilege. This guy is the voice of American racing and has announced at them all. For me to be on the stage with him and announce was a blast. I just hope I didn’t embarrass myself too muc
h.
Chance Noble bunny-hopping to third place. Look for
this U23 to do well at Nationals
Slip sliding to 9th