My First Cyclocross Race

So my DNF at Iceman left me unable to get the competitive fix I need every now and then. Luckily No Boundaries was putting on their second edition of the Challenge for Challenge Cyclocross Race. If you are unaware of what cyclocross is check out this video of how the REAL cyclocross racers do it. I don't even come close to qualifying. This low-key, fun event is a benefit for Challenge Mountain, which is sweet in itself, but the chill atmosphere is great. There's great variety, it's short, painful and also super spectator friendly. Plus there's beer when you're done.

So the day before the race I set up some mock barriers and practiced my dismounts/re-mounts. I kinda figured it out, but figured it would be a "learn as you go" experience. Race day arrived with perfect cyclocross weather. Forty degrees, breezy and active rain. It's funny because the style of racing invites the sense the nastier the weather is the more exciting the race becomes.

The Huge Stacked Field

(Not) Perfect technique at the first barrier!

I went out for some practice laps and got the technique and handling down a bit more, as I immediately became wet and dirty. I think there were eight racers in the A race (10 laps). So obviously not a deep field, but it was perfect for my first race. We started, I was a bit timid and at the back. It was a bit sketchy at first as I almost crashed on the first turn and fumbled through the first dismount. I noted to another rider that we had 9 more tries to get it right.

Surprisingly I quickly became fairly comfortable with the race and moved up into fourth. I was watching the lines and techniques of the other riders (who were obviously experienced) and made some good adjustments. Maybe three or four laps in I felt I had the technique down and moved into third. Being less experienced at cyclocross plus having my Mountain Bike it was interesting to see where I would gain ground and where I would loose it; consistently every lap. I'd gain on the hills and through the sand, and loose it on the barriers and several turns (No surprise that triathletes lack bike handling skills).

The Podium gets Beer. Cool.

It's full gas the whole time, with only a few seconds to recover on turns and downhills and such. I was inching closer to the second place guy and after three laps of trying I was on his wheel. As the race went on I noticed I really had to focus and think about what I needed to do to dismount, manuver, etc. It's interesting because I have the ability to go hard, but I can just get in the zone and "embrace the pain." But in 'cross I had to embrace the pain, while still trying to use higher level thinking so I didn't eat it. It's like having to multitask at it's worst.

 I did loose focus for a bit, had some poor re-mounts and lost ground to the guy in front of me. I think there were three laps left, but it's hard to keep track. I wasn't closing the gap and didn't have more gas to give. Right before the last lap he crashed and I passed him. It doesn't feel as honorable as a "fair fight", but that's how racing goes sometimes. Anyway I finished second, didn't break myself, had a blast and won a six pack of Fat Tire. Plus it's a charity event. Win win for everyone! I definitely want to do some more races, but I don't think I'll be buying a 'cross bike just yet. Only looking.

Iceman 2012

So after my inaugural Iceman experience last year (2:07 finish) I was excited for my second installment. Since I would now be in a seeded wave, didn't have a messed up knee and still had a reasonable amount of fitness, I was excited to see what kind of time I could put down (depending on course changes/conditions I was hoping for a 10+ min improvement). So I tuned up my bike, checking almost everything and was ready to rock.

I spent the night at Bob's house on his couch to save some time in the morning.  Race morning I was surprisingly up and awake immediately,rather than my normal morning "zombie" state. The weather cold as usual (28 degrees on the drive over), completely overcast and reports of "measurable snow" on the ground in TC. Being a Northern Michigan native and ex-cross country runner the weather was...perfect. I think I wore fewer clothes than 95% of the other racers; bib knickers, long sleeve jersey, headband and wind proof long finger gloves. I did a decent warm up and made my way to the start line; keeping warm with a "disposable" sweatshirt. I was Wave 7; start time 9:18AM. From my experience last year I knew how hard everyone went out at the start. I also knew I was in better shape and wanted to be at or near the front of my wave. As the horn went off I was stuck mid pack, but as things opened up in the first quarter mile, I comfortably made my way near the front of the group. The pavement ended, two track started and I was going comfortably hard and feeling good.

There was little traffic, lots of room and I was with a loose group of 6-8 people. I moved up on some small climbs and was feeling good to "put it out there" for a good result. I began to notice a grumble from my bike and I thought maybe my quick release was loose. The grumbling was getting worse. I couldn't see anything specifically wrong but was getting a bad feeling. Suddenly there was a terrible grinding and my left pedal became free floating in the 6 o'clock position. Choice words were uttered and I knew my race was probably done. So I tried to pedal along for a few seconds with mild, awkward success and then pulled over to see if I could figure out what the issue was. Slightly low on oxygen to the brain I could tell my crank was busted, but couldn't deduce the details. I didn't have a multi-tool and just started beating on it to try and engage whatever was broken back together. It was not a very scientific approach.

As most of the riders in my wave past my broken bike on the side of the trail, me going no where, I decided the best bet was to hop back on my bike, get to the next intersection and try and find a volunteer with some tools. So I was pedaling with one foot, while getting passed by other riders. I'm sure it was a sight to see. After only couple minutes of riding I got to some volunteers. After some more frustration I finally got my crank arms off. I have a Specialized crank, which is splined in the center and has a fixing bolt embedded in it, which required a full length torx bit to fix. Apparently it came loose. Needless to say I wasn't going to find that tool from anyone on course. Thus my Iceman was over less than 5 miles in. I hadn't really even started sweating and I hadn't even drank out of my water bottle. It was disappointing to say the least.

 At this point I hadn't been generating any body heat for a good 15 minutes and was starting to shiver.  A kind volunteer let me sit in his truck, with the heat on as I waited for the "extraction vehicle." I loaded my bike up in the extraction truck and was driven to a gas station where I was transferred to a van with another DNF racer. As we drove toward Traverse City we encountered snow and the landscape turned white. The first real snow of the year! A nice addition to my second (but first unplanned ) DNF in any (non-skiing) race. Obviously I was disappointed in my $15+/mile 2012 Iceman, however I was also grateful I didn't DNF via wrecking myself. While I wanted to perform well, it's not like the Iceman is an A race for the season anyway. Lesson learned: I will now add checking my crank bolts to my bike check prior to racing.

But the rest of the day was not a waste. I hung out and watched some other No Boundaries crew finish. I didn't feel I'd "earned" any beers, but had a couple anyway. But I did go for a nice trail run when I got home to get rid of some pent up frustration and energy. I even threw down a solid timed mile mid-run. Just another learning experience in my athletic career.

Avast!-There's a pirate on our team?

So it's been a while since I've posted an update on my adventures. Since the Charlevoix triathlon I've been doing some average training, but nothing special. The original plan was to get in some solid run training in for the late summer/fall. My mother and sister had wanted to run the Detroit Half Marathon in October and I said I would run as well. Unfortunately I have been unable to have a significant period of time that was uninterrupted by minor injuries. I decided the year of no running, took more out of my running "durability" than I had thought. I just need to be more patient in getting a more solid base back.

So with the half marathon coming up I wasn't in race shape, but I didn't want to exacerbate any injury. However I still wanted to run and decided to have some fun with it, so I wouldn't get sucked into race mode. So I did the obvious. Since Halloween was approaching I decided to dress like a pirate. I had the basic materials from previous pirate costumes, but made a few additions. These included a cardboard and foil hook as well as my best attempt at a "peg leg". ("Wood" patterned fabric over a calf sleeve.)

On to the race. It started wayyyy to early-7AM. It was dark and cold but I made it to the start line and got a few stares regarding my costume. I saw two friends from college and chatted for a minute before finding my place in the starting herd. The start horn went off and I focused on running very conservative and relaxed. It was an interesting experience running through Detroit in the wee morning hours. We then ran over the Ambassador Bridge, which was the coolest part of the race. The sun was just coming up over Canada and there was a nice fog over Windsor, which gave some nice hues to the morning.

Such a menacing pirate face!

Mom and Rebecca in our post-race picture. Note the "peg leg" attempt.

I ran through Canada for a few miles and the Canadians were either drinking Tim Hortons coffee or had solo cups (I assume Molson or Bloody Mary's). Coming back to America through the tunnel offered only the sounds of footsteps and slightly labored breathing. But the next mile upon returning to America was one of the rowdiest crowds I've ever experienced at a race. It was fantastic! The rest of the race was uneventful as I continued to get a few comments on the pirate costume and offered an "Arrrr!" and a "hook pump" in response. I finished in 1:26 and change, which was very pleasing. Of most importance was I did not aggravate any of my healing injuries. I would really enjoy participating in either the full or half being able to go into the race with sufficient training to leave it all out there. It was a great atmosphere with great crowd support.