Bicycle Races Are Coming Your Way

• August: Time Trials and Summercross

  8/14/2007

  
  August is a bit of a quagmire. It’s late in the season, people seem to be burning out a bit, and the end or road racing is but a month and a half away. There’s a dearth in club racing, and with no desire to go GMSR (ie: die), it seems like a great month to branch out a little, try new things and have fun.

  So I may have indulged in an impulse buy with the new TT bike, but I took it out and see how much pain i could induce on myself at the CRCA TT.

  There’s really no avoiding it, they pretty much suck through and through. I’d never raced of TTed at FBF, but i knew that it was a windy sum’bitch. I just kept my head down and rode the pain train.

  

  So it seems that your portly blogger isnt quite a TT “specialist.” i finished the 11.5 mi course in under 30 min, which was my goal, but not by much. As the Empire guys, Pat Littlefield (who rode a brilliant TT), and Andy shen zoomed by me, i thought about “schmalzing” them in a grand fashion, but then came to my senses and realized that flipping the bird mid-time trial is sooo not aero.

  To snark myself for just a moment, how come people always say so-and-so rode a “brilliant” Time trial? What’s brilliant and keeping your head down and pedaling really hard? Einstein is brilliant, Da Vinci is brilliant, but riding a bicycle? You don’t exactly need to be a Rhodes scholar to win a bike race. I, for one, ride retarded, pain-induced time trials, complete with drooling, snot rocketing, and sticking my tongue out wayyy too much. those signs point to retardation, not brilliance. but hey, that’s just me. Either way, I’ll be giving it another shot at Silvermine, along with trying to look pro by doing the TTT.

  The true highlight of August for me happened last Saturday, with the Amuse-bouche (sorry, I’m half french- anon haters, Fire away!) of the cyclocross season: Summercross at the New Jersey State Fair in Augusta.

  I’d be lying if i said i wasn’t as excited as a jersey girl at a bon jovi concert. last season was my first taste of cyclocross and i got hooked for the whole season. I’m excited to try it this season now that I’m in better shape and know what I’m getting myself into. Hopefully an upgrade to B is coming up.

  

  So they set up the cross race in the demolition derby pit of the New Jersey state fair. The course is fast and flat, but a bit technical. There were burmed (sp?) turns, big bumps (descriptive!) and a “disco death drop” (stairs and a run down), Being as i hadn’t jumped on or off my cross rig in 8 months, I was curious to see how it would go. The C race started, and i found myself near the back. I put my head down and started turning the pedals. It was great to be on a bike and have to wrench that sucker around. I felt the familiar sprays of mud, and got back into the rhythm of dismounting, jumping over stuff, and jumping back on the saddle without smashing up the baby-makin’ equipment. It felt good to be racing this wacky sport again. I slowly started to pass a few people. I was feeling better than i remember feeling in past cross races. Of course i had to have my obligatory crash at the top on the stairs, as I tried to re-mount while going down the soft dirt descent. man, I love embarassing myself! but you guys probably already knew that…

  

  Even with the crash, I managed to slip into 4th place. i had no idea what place i was in till after the race. You’re going too hard during the even to even think about where you are. All you know is that you just need to keep pedaling and passing the guy in front of you. nice, smooth barrier jumps and going fast where you can is what counts. now That I’ve TTed, I would say the intensity of the effort is comparable (although more erratic), but not nearly as boring. There’s obstacles, there’s crap to run up, there’s mud to splash through, there’s beer to drink afterwards! Most fun I’ve had on two wheels.

  Other highlights of the race:

  Adler Riding a smart Race while representing the pinnacle of New Jersey taste and class!

  

  CRCA Juniors Bringing their A-Game

  

  Richard Bravo Riding his first cross race! on a single speed??

  

  This guy!

  
  he’s for real. The flora and fauna that is the rural New Jersey Population is fascinating to an egocentric, self centered Manhattanite such as yours truly (or any Manhattanite for that matter…)

  Thanks to Bill Moore for the awesome shots!

  

  

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