An entire weekend of cyclocross! could there be a more awesome thing? Well, maybe.. but I'm tired right now and I can't think of anything. So it'll have to rate as the most awesome thing on earth for the time being.
Port Adelaide Cycling Club has played host to two rounds of the National Cyclocross Series since it's inception a couple of years ago. This year however the club was tasked with putting on the National Championships. What this meant was the the club was responsible for putting on the event where green and gold jerseys were being won. What this meant for me was a chance to race in a national level event. Pretty exciting stuff!
2014 National Cyclocross Championship - 2nd August 2014
Of the two days, this was the big one. Green and Gold striped jerseys on offer for the winners meant that the entry list was pretty long. This race was based on age group categories, so there was always going to be a bit of a mix of skills and abilities.
I was under no illusions of bringing something home though. I'm a realist, so the only foreseeable way I was likely to walk away with a national championship jersey was for some sort of Steven Bradbury-esque event to occur. With 27 competitors in my group, the amount of concentrated bad luck required for me to win would be on such an epic scale that an it's unlikely that anyone would want to set foot on this course ever again should it occur.
Unfortunately Miss V and I were running a bit late, and so by the time we got there I had enough time to get Miss V out on circuit to warm up for her race, but sadly when I was ready the course was already closed :( I made do with some off course warm up, which given the muddy state of the circuit was probably not such a bad option! We'd raced on a course nearly identical to this one a month previously, so I wasn't really too concerned with the lack of a sighting lap. I'd really enjoyed the course then, and so I was looking forward to it. Something that I hadn't factored in however was how wet the course was. With so much rain in the week prior some places on the course were more like mud pits rather than a race course. One thing that I knew would definitely test me was the length of the race; 50 minutes of racing, 20 minutes more than my usual B grade races.
After the Women's races had finished the Men's races were called up. I was about mid pack on the start line, next to PACC legend Deano and behind my regular rival Ben from Lifecycles who I seem to bang wheels with more often than not. We listened to the starter and finally the gun went. As per usual, everyone was out of the block pretty quick smart. Rounding a few corners and I was still with the pack, much to my surprise. We then reached Mulch hill, which was to become my undoing.
The base of the climb was slushy, and the sides of the hill were hard packed clay, wet and slippery. So there was limited opportunity to get some speed up to ride it, and no traction to run up it! I tried to ride my way to the top only to make it half way, dismount and then find myself sliding to the bottom again :( climb up it, slide back down.. rinse and repeat. If i wasn't living it, it'd be pretty comical I guess :D So I was dead last and my rival Ben was long gone. Much to my frustration the same thing occurred on every lap. I think the hecklers on the hill took pity on me and didn't give me much of a hard time. I suspect if they heckled me for the entire time I was climbing they might have lost their voice and have nothing left for the later races
The Forest of Doom was fun as always, possibly more fun since it was a slushy muddy mess. Sadly I never was really racing anyone through the forest, which I think would have been brilliant.
Bringing me crashing down to earth and highlighting how badly I was riding, just after I finished my first lap, the first of the Under 23s were lapping me.. seriously. Sure, their race had a 2 minute head start on my group.. but they were lapping me after a single frickin' lap! Certainly very demoralising.I was under no illusions of bringing something home though. I'm a realist, so the only foreseeable way I was likely to walk away with a national championship jersey was for some sort of Steven Bradbury-esque event to occur. With 27 competitors in my group, the amount of concentrated bad luck required for me to win would be on such an epic scale that an it's unlikely that anyone would want to set foot on this course ever again should it occur.
Unfortunately Miss V and I were running a bit late, and so by the time we got there I had enough time to get Miss V out on circuit to warm up for her race, but sadly when I was ready the course was already closed :( I made do with some off course warm up, which given the muddy state of the circuit was probably not such a bad option! We'd raced on a course nearly identical to this one a month previously, so I wasn't really too concerned with the lack of a sighting lap. I'd really enjoyed the course then, and so I was looking forward to it. Something that I hadn't factored in however was how wet the course was. With so much rain in the week prior some places on the course were more like mud pits rather than a race course. One thing that I knew would definitely test me was the length of the race; 50 minutes of racing, 20 minutes more than my usual B grade races.
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| Pre-Race. (Photo c/ R. Kennett) |
After the Women's races had finished the Men's races were called up. I was about mid pack on the start line, next to PACC legend Deano and behind my regular rival Ben from Lifecycles who I seem to bang wheels with more often than not. We listened to the starter and finally the gun went. As per usual, everyone was out of the block pretty quick smart. Rounding a few corners and I was still with the pack, much to my surprise. We then reached Mulch hill, which was to become my undoing.
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| Waiting on the start line, nerves starting to build. (Photo c/ R. Kennett) |
The base of the climb was slushy, and the sides of the hill were hard packed clay, wet and slippery. So there was limited opportunity to get some speed up to ride it, and no traction to run up it! I tried to ride my way to the top only to make it half way, dismount and then find myself sliding to the bottom again :( climb up it, slide back down.. rinse and repeat. If i wasn't living it, it'd be pretty comical I guess :D So I was dead last and my rival Ben was long gone. Much to my frustration the same thing occurred on every lap. I think the hecklers on the hill took pity on me and didn't give me much of a hard time. I suspect if they heckled me for the entire time I was climbing they might have lost their voice and have nothing left for the later races
The Forest of Doom was fun as always, possibly more fun since it was a slushy muddy mess. Sadly I never was really racing anyone through the forest, which I think would have been brilliant.
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For some reason I just didn't have any power in the legs. This is reflected in my strava data which shows me at "tempo" for the entire race. Ultimately a race I'd rather forget, even though the event as a whole was brilliant.
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Strava Data
National Cyclocross Series - Round 5 - 3rd August 2014
After yesterdays epic disaster, I was nearly dreading this one. Nevertheless Miss V and I rolled up to Zombie Park ready to race. This time I was in my more familiar B-Grade, though there were a lot of A-Grade regulars that weren't racing in the Elites for one reason or another. This course was probably more technical than yesterday, which is probably more to my liking.Owing to my early sign up, I was on the front row of the grid . I was fairly confident that'd change soon! :) Even so, I couldn't help but enjoy my time at the front.
The gun went, and the group bolted out of the starting grid around a sweeping corner and about to start the first lap.. and then this happened:
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| First lap carnage. (Photo c/ T. Freeman) |
That's me to the right of frame narrowly escaping the carnage. Sweet Jeebus! PACC President Marky G wasn't quite so fortunate, and did himself a bit of mischief. Hopefully he'll be back on the bike soon.
Exiting the death zone I found myself immediately behind Dan and a few second ahead of Lifecycles Ben. Check it out everyone, I'm racing!
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| Stalking Dan. (Photo c/ V. Riches) |
I think the biggest difference between the two of us was at the steep embankment. Dan choosing to dismount and run the climb while I chose to stay on the bike and grind up it. On Lap 2 I nosed ahead on the climb, but Dan quickly jumped back in front. I think it took me all of Lap 2 to convince myself that I could in fact successfully pass and attack Dan. It's weird that it took that one moment to realise that I could actually make a race of it. I think my confidence had taken a bit of a dive after the race yesterday! I made sure to keep a watchful eye on Ben who seemed to be lurking behind Dan and myself as I knew he wouldn't be too happy about being back there.
At the start of Lap 3 I was pushing myself to stay in position. Wow, this racing thing is hard work! Arriving at the steep climb up the embankment I rode around Dan and got away. Mid way through the lap I had a small gap. I have to say at this point I was feeling pretty good, which is a complete turn around from yesterday. Now all I had to worry about was Ben and Dan working together to gang up on me. Paranoid much?
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| Passing Dan! (Photo c/ V. Riches) |
About half way through the lap I felt a fair hit on the rear wheel as as I went over a rough bit. A quick look down and every thing seemed ok. "Keep Pushing" I kept telling myself! I'd opened up a fairly decent gap, and it started feeling like I had done enough to be able to defend it. It's amazing what a slight bit of confidence can do. However, it was all about to come crashing down around me. Ending the lap and I noticed that the rear tyre was a lot more bouncy than it ought to be.. oh no. :(
Final lap and I arrived at the embankment for the last time. Miss V and a number of others were cheering me on to keep going. I could tell by now that the tyre was going down due to the back end of the bike sliding and drifting around the corners. There was still air though, so maybe I could get to the finish. I still managed to ride up the climb and was still making an effort to defend the gap I had created. Halfway through the last lap, the inevitable happened. I'd run out of air and I was riding on the rim. My race was pretty much over, so I nursed the bike over some of the rocky bumps in an effort to at least limp to the finish line. Both the Dan and Ben passed me as I was quietly fuming.
Ultimately, that's racing though.. next time! Thanks to both Dan and Ben for the excellent race. I really enjoyed that one.
Strava Data
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Once again, a sensational weekend of CX racing put on by Port Adelaide Cycling Club. It's very easy to be proud of your club and it's members when they put on events of this quality.
Thanks for reading! :)
