Silver Lake CX Race

This last Sunday I raced in the Silver Lake CX race up in Everett.  Although it was a beautiful, sparkling sunny day, the course was quite brutal- it included a long, long LONG run across the beach.

Her'es a little montage of some sand shots (all shots by Chad):

That's me on the bottom right, my speedy friend Kate L above me, TBD to the left, and
 SCCA/ Sbux team president Paul above him giving cx a try.  Hint: click on the montages to view larger images.

Beverly Park Cross Race.. Mud, Mud Mud

Last Sunday's race was possibly the muddiest experience of my life.  The skies opened up right before my race started, and the cat 4 women, stripped down to race jerseys in anticipation of the start, were soaked in a torrential deluge of rain.   Every square inch of the course, minus the short section around a clay track, was mud. The run ups were complete mud, a slip and slide fest, right out of the gate.  The upper section of the course, which wove back and forth across a section of turf, was no respite, as the turf was waterlogged and quickly turned to mud.  From the turf, we rode down a muddy decline, back across the track, and to the back stretch, which was not rideable due to mud.  Back and forth we slogged, bikes on shoulders, mud to mid calves.
Definitely one of the most intensely wet and dirty experiences of my life- but there is something fun about being that dirty.  A momentary relapse into a mud-covered childhood, perhaps.

Here's a roundup of my favorite images from around the web of that day:

I heart cyclocross!

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year.  I get excited about crisp cool mornings, apple harvest, pumpkins, falling leaves, fall fly fishing trips.  Recently I've discovered another reason to love fall-  cyclocross!  For those of you unfamiliar with this strange event, cyclocross is a type of bike race which takes place on a mix of turf, pavement, dirt (and mud!) often requiring great bike handling skills to navigate tight corners and objects like roots, rocks and potholes.  Every cross course also has a run up, requiring you to dismount, throw your bike over your shoulder and scamper (or stagger) up a steep hill.  There is usually also a set or two of barriers- you must dismount and hurdle over them while carrying your bike. Often there is also a section of sand or mud that is impossible to navigate on two wheels, so you have to hop off your bike and carry it over your shoulder as you run along.  All the running mixed in with intense cycling makes cross HARD.  But, you do laps on short courses, which means that people are sprinkled everywhere along the course cheering you on, taunting you to go faster, ringing cowbells, and sometimes handing out goodies to keep you going (so far I've been offered both beer and bacon!). 

I ddin't take either of the first two raced I did very seriously- I arrived only about 40 minutes before my race time, got registered, ate a snack, did a quick warm up and started racing.  Both races went something like this:

First lap:




LaborDayCX-0134
Originally uploaded by StarbucksCyclingTeam

Feeling fresh!