I picked up the 'cross and got religion!

(Note: I'm NOT in the picture at the left. I aspire to that level of technique.)

Sunday was my first cyclocross race, in Schenectady's Central Park. An AWESOME way to spend a Sunday morning. It was the hardest 35-minute ride of my life. No heart rate monitor needed to tell that story. Let's start at the beginning.

The pack went off like a bunch of wet cats. Not like those comparatively leisurely road-race starts. We were lined up 24-wide in front of the Music Haven stage. We had to funnel down to about six feet pretty quickly. OK, sure, in races you need to be aggressive, but I decided to err on the side of caution, what with this being my first 'cross race and all. I found a spot and started cruising. Oh, and did I mention I overslept and didn't get to scope the course, or warm up properly? I found myself leap-frogging a couple of riders. I'd blow by them on the straights, then get bogged down at the dismounts as they pirouetted over the huge tree and the barriers. Whatever progress I was making was pure brute force, not finesse. We were all strung out by that point, maybe the second lap or so. A helpful CBRC guy standing by one of the run-ups heckled us mightily each time we went by. It was great! I felt much more comfortable than I expected, with the possible exception of those remounts. Well, the jewels are still intact.

I was seriously wondering if this would be a DFL. I ended up sprinting for 16th place. I heard a rider coming up behind me with just a few hundred feet to go. Once my front derailleur cooperated I was able to stay ahead of him. Road riding is good 'cross training!

I have a decent amount of power, but I really want that finesse and agility. I watched some other groups at the barriers and was mightily impressed. It can look like one fluid motion. Maybe I need to reprogram my internal iPod with some Tchaikovsky or something. Or just practice more.

Race #2, this Saturday morning in Troy!