UCI Cross After Dark / Spooky Cross CX Racing

It’s funny…the things you remember; like the choking smell of someone smoking a cigar while you race out of your skin, eyes bugged and lungs seared for 40 minutes.  Or, the out-of-place scent of engine grease as you careen around turns under fly-overs or between trees.  And people everywhere, some you know, and some you don’t, faceless, invisible to you, calling your name, screaming for you, willing you forward as your body hops off the saddle and leg muscles fire to propel you just that much further, faster.  The feel of the dirt almost giving way beneath your tires; soft supple rubber banging over tree roots and cruising over gravel and pebbles crunching below.  Wind on your face as you speed up and accelerate down the massive fly-over, and the strain of the calf muscles, and forgetting how you wound up off your bike on the wrong side on a short hill when you should’ve been pedaling.

Well, when last I left off Justin and I were suffering from a strange, but short-lived flu bug.  We did 2 rides last week, so our total for the prior 14 days was 5 rides, 1 race, 1 walk, as of Friday morning at dawn, 1 run, and 6 days off the bike and exercise entirely.

Friday at sunrise we went for a steady trail run.  The first half I felt amazing. I have never felt so light on my feet or so smooth “barefoot shoe” trail running.  It felt awesome and freeing.  And then, about 1.5 miles in, my calves felt a little strained.  We slowed up.  At 20 minutes in, we took the shortcut back to the visitor center, and then walked the last half mile back to the car, slowly.

By the time I got to work I was sort of limping.  Saturday I was hobbled, but surviving.

Probably by all accounts, before a big UCI cyclocross double-header weekend in front of friends, fellow racers, the press, and under the lights of Cross After Dark’s finale, it probably wasn’t the best idea to jump in to a faster paced trail run than my body could handle.  But, I had no idea Friday morning that it’d be that bad.

At any rate, Friday afternoon our department at work had a BBQ off-site, so we got out a little early and headed NW to Irvine to check out the course and hit up packet pick-up at Rock N’ Road and socialize for a bit.

Gritters on the fly-over, turning hot laps in the evening light

Had a blast hanging out, got some grub, and headed to Mykyta’s house (thanks for the hospitality!) for some down time before bed.

We had a chill morning with steel cut oats and coffee, and then packed up to head over to Rock N’ Road to get some chain lube and I wanted to try out the highly touted Specialized Wool Trainer socks.  El Gato has said they are awesome and almost too warm to wear on anything but cooler California days.  Perfect – just what I wanted for my after-dark cross race!

Justin did about an hour spin with me on course at noon when it opened up for early inspection, and then I had a bunch of downtime.  My race wasn’t until 7 ish.  His was at 4pm, so he cruised around.  I felt hungry most of the afternoon, but didn’t want to over-eat and be sick at race time.

I cheered on others, took pics of Justin in his race, and generally tried to be low-key.

I got back on course I think in between the 5pm and 6pm races, so right before SS was going to go off.  After a lap or 2 I figured it was a good time to grab my First Endurance EFS and pre-race and head out for my warm up.  It was probably around 6 pm.  I did some openers and practice starts, and then it occurred to me that I while I was basically done warming up, I still had over 30 minutes until my race start.  D’oh!  I had 7pm in my head for some reason, but the start was at 7:20.  More cruising around to stay warm and a few laps around during the costume race (which I thoroughly missed).

Eventually it was time to stage.  I got 7th call-up, so a front row spot, and chose one of the 2 remaining blocks – far left.

Before I knew it I was swarmed by women that actually know how to start a race.  I know that I have started well previously, because I’ve finished the start loop of at least 2 XC races sitting 6-7th in a field of 20+ women.  Why starts now elude me, erm…eludes me.

Around the first sweeping left and the rider in front of me (I had no idea who it was at the time) completely sprawled out in front of me hitting a course pole.  Blamo.  I was stoked that I managed to stay on my bike and not hit her, and charged off.  I felt like I should be farther ahead in the field than I was, but passing wasn’t to be, especially as early on in the lap there are a lot of short quick turns and not many straight aways.

I was trying to make some moves, but there were bodies everywhere, and soon enough we were hitting the INSANELY LONG SAND PIT RUN.  I’m fairly certain I did not lose any places to anyone throughout my race Saturday night in the sand, and even if it was one spot I think I gained it back, so I’m chalking that as a huge success on my part given a) my utter lack of ability to run, and b) my sore calves, which weren’t bothering me that much at all).

I had suffer-face going for most of the race trying to make moves, and I knew after lap 2 or so I was sitting somewhere top 6-8.

Photo cred: The amazing Dan Munson

Chloe wound up coming out of nowhere, and I couldn’t quite hang on to her, but spent about a lap charging super hard, and at one point, for a very brief moment, was sitting in 5th overall in the field.  Short-lived, as Chloe passed me back and took off charging herself, never to be caught again.  I was getting pretty exhausted by 2 to go, and after chasing Chloe, really was left without much gas in the tank, and started to slow considerably.  Finished in 6th overall, completely wiped out.

Speaking of re-creation…

Sure, you can’t re-create the past, but sometimes you can re-live it.

This year for Spooky Cross I did not do a 76-mile mountain bike ride the morning of the night race.  Despite only having done an hour course inspection and an hour warm up before the race on Saturday, I was completely and utterly worked from my 45 minute effort on course, and despite not getting a podium spot, I know there’s nothing I could’ve done differently or better or gone harder for a better result.

Christina and I did a short cool down, got pretty cold, and then I got into some warmer clothes, and eventually after a little bit of spectating it was time for dinner.  Just like last year Justin and I hit up BJs, but instead of pizza and beer I got salmon and veggies.  We hit the hay around 11, but I couldn’t sleep.

Sunday we were up earlier than the previous day, as Justin’s race was set for 11 am so we needed to be at the venue around 9 for pre-ride and to get situated.

I chose to not get kitted up very early, but chased Justin around course getting pictures and cheering him on again.

It was a blast watching him duke it out with some other fast dudes for sure.  Aside from that, I tried to chill in the shade.  My calves were a bit more wrecked from the efforts of Saturday’s night race, and walking was getting a little tedious.

Sunday’s Elite women’s race was set to go off at 2:20, so just before 1 I got into my kit and set off to do a lap or so of the course, and then hit my warm up.

Right off I knew I was carrying fatigue (er, aside from being tired and not having slept and all that).  My heart rate wasn’t elevating normally with the effort, and my legs just felt pretty dead.  Not bad, but not ready for battle.  In one of my warm up laps I attempted to run the barriers instead of gingerly step them, and I noted right away that my calves weren’t really firing.  No worries, pedaling seemed to be okay.  I had some stomach discomfort and generally wanted to not be racing.  Turn that frown upside down!

Managed to get in my openers and do half a lap waiting for staging, sprayed myself repeatedly with water in the sun waiting for call-ups (it was like 81F out, which is really not that hot.  Seriously.).  This time as 7th call up I staged far right.  Justin hypothesized that I had been boxed out on the left hander, so far right it was.  I’m not sure my start was actually any better, but I digress.

We took off at 2:20, and despite what I thought was my best effort, I still was probably behind midpack off the start.  Justin apparently was yelling at me that I was coasting way too early into the first turn.  Oops!  No wonder.

At any rate, again I was fighting on the straight stretches to put in passes.  I felt like I was with a decent group going through the turns.  Christina passed me lap 1 in the sand, which wasn’t a huge surprise because 1) she starts really well, and 2) she actually runs way better than I do (but so do most infants, and that’s not a knock on her, cause she has mad skills on a cross bike).  BUT, I wasn’t going to let that happen (sorry, CPT!) so we played cat and mouse and on the back stretch before the end of the lap she offered up some encouragement as I passed.

Lap 2 or so I was sitting with a solid group.  Chloe had had a better start this time and was off in front of our group of 4.

Photo cred: Lyne Lamoureux/Podium Insight

Emily (Stevens) passed me at least once (if not twice) in the sand section on Sunday.  I kept having to charge hard to put time in, and spent a few laps chasing Jennifer (Raleigh) before eventually making a pass stick.  Chloe was the proverbial carrot, but I never closed the gap.  My split to Jennifer was just barely holding, and everytime through the sand she’d make up a few valuable sections that I’d then try to make back up those seconds on flat straights, where oddly enough I seem to be able to hold my own.

Eventually the placings were basically set, but I refuse to give up or give into the notion of “settling in”, so I kept charging.

I barely made it through the sand on the last lap, and as I hit the stair run up I quite literally almost had to toss my bike up and crawl.  My calves had completely locked up.  6th on the day, super hard battle yet again, and I had nothing else left to give.

I came across the line and Justin told me to go get water from the car, so I didn’t even unclip I don’t think.  Good thing, since when I did back at the car, I could barely limp off my bike.  I verbally willed Christina to ride out into the venue so we could do a cool down, and just as Justin pushed me off (I couldn’t clip in and get started) CPT rolled out, and off we went toward the parking lot to spin down.

Phew.  Tough weekend, but I managed to limp around the course, chat with Craig, cheer on Brandon to his first ever UCI points (10th in a stacked field!), and helped take down course tape before Justin and I set off toward home for an evening of unpacking, dishes, and laundry.

Stoked on the weekend overall, though bummed I wasn’t able to snag a spot on the podium.  There are 2 more UCI races locally as part of the Prestige Series, but at that point (early December) I’ll be in solid base training, and who knows what the field will be like!  I’ve no doubt it’ll be an awesome weekend of racing, and I’m sure stout competition as it was this past weekend.

As always, thanks to Rock N’ Road for the support, the race promotion and course set up, all of the volunteers and staff, and EVERYONE out cheering and spectating.  It’s so awesome to have people cheering you on when you’re feeling really slow and vulnerable.  I wanted to throw in the towel a few times on Sunday due to my fatigue and pain, but I kept charging as best I could.

Until next time!