So Cal Prestige Series of CX #1 Downtown LA Cross!

Saturday dawned and Justin and I slept in. It was much needed due to my antics the prior week (Justin stayed up late Monday and Tuesday getting my CruX UCI-race ready for Cross Vegas, then I kept us up all night hanging out at TI in Vegas after Cross Vegas, Thursday we got home late from Interbike, Friday we did dinner out and got home late). We had a slow start to the morning, and he had to switch our race wheels around with training wheels for a cross ride.

Eventually we got moving! Only one of us flatted on Saturday (yes!) and we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening doing chores (he was again race prepping bikes while I cleaned house and ran to the grocery store), and we got to bed late again.

Sunday it was GO TIME.  I haven’t yet gotten used to the 2011-2012 So Cal Prestige Series of Cyclocross schedule, plus Justin’s and my race time(s), so I got us up pretty early and off we headed NW toward the venue, way too early.  But, it was all good because we love hanging out at bike races and got to chat and got a decent parking spot (and did not get rear ended).  The other good news is that we did NOT get lost or have any directional issues!  For some reason getting to the cross venues has created some headaches in the past!  But, not on Sunday.

We got our numbers and noticed it was getting HOT.  Had a blast catching up with Joy, seeing Roger and Vanessa again, chatting with Casey, Cody, and Cameron (where are your parents?? – kidding, the Williams’ were in a hurry to get to the venue to race so skipped breakfast; Cody on the other hand came prepared with a baking tray full of delicious and homemade energy bars that I need the recipe for), hanging with Carolyn and Scott from Team Sho-Air/VeloSport, and seeing how many rad women from the Rock N’ Road Divas/So Cal Cross women’s clinic from a few weeks ago came out to RACE!  Bree raced with the juniors (even going down hard and getting some road rash!), Heather was racing with the women’s C, and Sasha and Kim came out to race with the B’s.  Stellar!

I had a blast running around cheering on the racers in earlier waves, and eventually realized I was dehydrated and had a headache and it was time to warm up for my race!

I’d gotten some low down from a few racers on the lines and roots in the grass, and even Justin said, “On the first corner after the straight, take it wide so you have traction.”  He gave me some other advice (“I only used the big ring” and “come outside here it is longer but smoother”) which I remembered and heeded.

The women staged around 2:40 and I rushed around to get ready to take a spot on the front row (no call ups yet!).  We set off with the horn and immediately Christina and Amanda were off and running and I pulled in 3rd wheel down the straight.  The 2 women from Cynergy looked like serious contenders, and Becky had said that Hannah could be super fast as well.  CPT had taken the master women’s race with grace and ease and I knew she’d be firing on all cylinders.  Plus Amanda whose cross skills far outshine my own!  This was going to be a fun race.

The course started out with a super long dirt straight away with a little jog in the right side followed by a biiig left hander through “the trees”.  I had taken the lead maybe 50 yards from the turn and despite Justin’s advice, what did I do?  I took the inside line.  It’s the only line I’d practiced, so I took it, and naturally, in front of the entire field (noted by Dot to be the biggest Women’s A field she’d ever had!) I biffed it and went down on my left side – HARD.  I didn’t hesitate to hop back up, didn’t check out my smarting knee or my bike just hoping/assuming everything was functioning normally and hopped back to chase.  I was close to last at this point and trying to make passes and take the inside line around the women racers and a) not crash/fall again, and b) not make any dicey or unquestionable passes.  it was only the start of lap 1!

By the pits I was sitting somewhere around 3-5 wheel (Christina had taken the lead and had a gap and was followed I think by Nancy and the Cynergy racers (Jammer and Julia).  I managed to take 2nd and lead the chase to Christina, who maintained her gap until I got back on the start/finish straight.  I recovered slightly and then offered to take the wind.  She (thankfully) coached me around the turn at the end of the straight away and I told her to hop on so we could gap off the other racers.  Halfway down the back stretch I noticed I had a gap on her, so went for some time and tried to push the pace some more.  The next lap or so I maintained a similar gap and had Justin telling me to work on my cornering skills, which are in need of help!

The HS boys put in a “bmx section” complete with a few rollers and 2×4′s.  It was a blast, but not one of my faster sections!

The course also included a decent (not steep) stair run up section – with carpet!  I never found a decent/fast entry point and was never sure if I should bound one foot on each stair or two steps up it at a time.

I feel like my cross skills are improving, though!  Last year at this time I couldn’t make it over the tall barriers what-so-ever without stepping on them with a foot to propel myself up and over.  This year I was making it no problem.  Progress!  Even if it is just baby steps.

Sid didn’t get off his bike once!

I’d also like to give some thanks to my new mentor – DT.  He reminded me on lap 2~ to focus when I was definitely not paying attention as much as I should have been, and on lap 4 to drill it home and not let up when I probably could’ve gone a bit harder than I was.

All in all, solid first race of our local cross series and I’m definitely looking forward to more!  Gorgeous day for racing.

Hope we make it up to Pacifica Cross this Sunday in Camarillo.  Our little TDI is out of action for at least a week since the fans and intercooler are busted up and it’ll take a few days to get parts and for it to get fixed.  Insurance isn’t going to like us after this one.

Awesome job to all racers out there on Sunday, and I hope to see Sasha, Kim, Bree, and Heather return for more!  Big thanks as always to Dot Wong, Jeff Herring, Chris Bassett, and the entire So Cal Cross crew and volunteers (including Elizabeth for working registration since she couldn’t race!).  The equal prize purse for women is awesome and hopefully we’ll continue to draw big fields!