Boulder CX

So I mention perfect weather and then this happens!  Andrea just got home from her ride and its now pouring down rain and maybe just on the plus side of 50 degrees.

Luckily for me I just got home from the Boulder UCI CX weekend and I'm pretty tired from pulling an all night drive across I-80 and I'm not riding today.  Maybe just some yoga, some tea, and some Red Bull Rampage!  WOW - those guys are crazy.

So yeah, time to reflect on the first UCI cross weekend of the year.  Chloe had just stayed at our house for the Sheboygan WORS race and offered to return the favor and let me crash at her parents.  Billy Jones had offered the space in the Sprinter van for bikes to drive out and me to drive back.  So a one way ticket was all it took.  Karl was pumped to lend a hand, get out of town and tag teamed the weekend with Mike Teff who was wrenching for the contingent of juniors who were out representing the ISCorp-Intelligentsia Team.

It was the first time I had been back to Boulder since Andrea and I lived in Niwot for a short 3 or 4 month spell back in 2002.  It was pretty much how I remembered it, but a lot more developed.

I was so stoked for Chloe - 2nd both days racing for Amy D!

Day One's race was out at the Boulder Reservoir where I remember racing back in 02.  The race course was a little different, but we still got to do same time on the sandy beach as well as plenty of corners.  I had a pretty good start, but was not nearly aggressive enough thru the first 4 corners.  At the same time if you were aggressive you were likely to crash on the loose pea gravel over hard pack terrain.  I eventually settled in a group that was racing for 16th place, but with 3 riders just in front of us 13th was within grasp.  I finished 19th....not very exciting.





Day 2 - I was ready to give it a little more gas.  I went out for a morning spin to loosen the legs and preview the course at Valmont.  Pretty technical and definitely no hiding or drafting like the day before.  I had another great start, but wasn't aggressive enough again.  I also really struggled at the 5-10 minute mark in the race which didn't really allow me to latch on to the back of the group.  Again I found myself racing around 16th - 17th position with a group of 3 which included Tristan just a few seconds up.  For a few laps I was close to bridging, but just didn't have that extra 2%.  I finished 17th..slightly better but nowhere near what I'm capable of...the last lap was a little exciting battling with 3 others and trying to sprint with a bunch of fish net in my cassette???  Hope that stuffs not a factor in Jan at Nationals.

I was finally feeling comfy on the bikes and was starting to have fun ripping the corners.  I loved the disc brakes....so much confidence and reliability especially on the steep descents of the Valmont course.  The new HED wheels were solid...With a little more time on the bikes and some quality training at home from now until Louisville I think I'll be back in the top 10 soon!

The drive home was brutal....straight from the race course to the back of the sprinter van.  Thru the middle of the night.  17 hours later and I was totally wasted and back in Sheboygan.

Always good to see first light after driving thru the night.