I’ve raced cyclocross on and off over the last 8 years or so but putting together a full season let alone being properly trained for one has proven quite elusive. This year despite once again being under prepared and suffering a knee injury, I’m giving it my best shot at getting a whole season of racing in. The Pilarcitos Bay Area Super Prestige has been one of my favorite series since I got into cyclocross and I was eager to get the season started with their Candlestick race. Located behind the 49er’s home stadium this is a mostly flat dusty course through scrub land with a handful of small berms and a man made bridge.
The first race of any cyclocross season is always the most painful. I started on the back row of the 60 man 35+ B field (combined start with the 45+ Bs) with the plan of just pacing the main pack, but a ton of openings got the better of my ego and I shot up through the field to about 25th. It’s not uncommon for me to go out way to hard and this was no different. By lap 2 I was cooked, by 4 I was thinking about giving up as I moved backwards. Finally with 2 to go I finally started to get my wind back and formulated a plan where I could make a move without blowing up again. I started picking off a few spent racers and caught back up to a former teammate, Brian Rodgers who I tried to give a pull to no avail. So I decided to shoot for a strong sprint finish and put on a little show for my girlfriend (thanks for the pics Michelle) who was witnessing her first cyclocross race and was a big help. I latched onto a mixed group of 3-4 riders and followed them around the backside of the course onto the finish straight where I launched a sprint to pick up a couple more spots for a 44th out of 57 finishers.
While cyclocross might not be as exhilarating as motorcycle racing it was great to see some old teammates, riding buddies and racers who are still competing. It's cool to see some of them are even running at the front. It also makes for great training both mentally and physically.
It was also nice to finally properly represent for Tam Bikes in Mill Valley. Over the years Quoc, Bryce and the rest of the crew have taken great care of my bike needs so it was cool to return the favor and see some of the other guys representing.
Next up, Surf City Halloween race.....
Next up, Surf City Halloween race.....
