Cyclocross... Chasing the Dream

We are often inspired most, not by the professionals, but by those around us, our friends; mere mortals who dedicate themselves to a goal and work to achieve it. Matt Fox is one of these people.

A teammate and friend, Matt is nicest guy you will ever meet and a sweet rider; strong, solid, and confident. He likes using the phases "Solid" and "Hillbilly Deluxe"; and for what ever reason I follow suit. He lets me follow him around the Phil's Network, slowing down so I can keep up and follow his lines. I admire his conviction and dedication to the sport of cycling and his love for not only the results, but the process.

Matt is a cyclist.

I am only becoming a cyclist; but his example has been instrumental in my burning desire to push the pedals ever harder, ever fast.

A recent post on Matt's Blog struck a cord with me…. Cyclocross….. Crashing the Dream. He puts in well:

"Head down I turn the pedals over and over. Tired aching legs and soreness find their way into my daily routine. I am getting ready. It's early I tell myself, one more interval, push it harder. It's all a big game to be sure, but it's one that drives me, keeps me motivated, keeps me dedicated and pushing myself to be better."

Read his entire entry and the rest of his Fox CX Blog here.

StarCrossed and Rad Racing - Cyclocross with the Big Girls

Think back to your first day of high school.  You thought you were pretty hot stuff; lockers, varsity letter jackets, off campus lunch, homecoming football games.

Sporting your brand new Jansport pack and Converse kicks, you stepped off the bus and strolled right through the main doors; toward the Senior lounge. 

Then it hit you.  You just smacked your head on the bottom rung of the social ladder.  The only thing anyone else thought you were good for was being stuffed into a garage can or locker.

This is quite similar to the experience I had this past weekend at Star Crossed as I awaited call-ups for the Elite Women’s Field.   The first big UCI Cyclocross race of the season, a lot for the heavy hitters were on the Star Crossed confirmed rider list; UK’s national champion, a 4-time US National Champion, a Canadian Olympian.

Last year I raced Women’s B.  This year I have raced the local Thrilla races.  Standing there, among these amazing athletes, I second-guessed by decision to buy the UCI license and race with the big girls.

What was I thinking?

Just after 7pm, the UCI Official started calling out names; the names of women I have been reading about on cyclingnews.com, velonews.com, and cxmagazine.com all summer. Four rows back, my name was called, I took my place and looked around me. 

Wow.  I was in way over my head.

The pistol fired and the women at the front looked like they had just been shot out of a cannon; I struggled to comprehend the speed and at the first corner I was dead last.

I hadn’t set unrealistic goals for this weekend of racing; Star Crossed (Saturday) and Rad Racing Gran Prix (Sunday).  I wanted to race with the elite women, I wanted to finish each race, I wanted to get some experience racing with the big girls.  What I didn’t want was to get lapped and I didn’t want to finish last. 

You are not going to get lapped and you are not going to get last.  Ride your bike faster.

On the first straight away, I passed 2 girls.  Okay, calm down. You are okay. 

I could see a couple turns in front of me; Helen, Sue, Alison, and Alyson were off the front, a large chase group followed….. then there were the rest of us.  I passed couple other girls going over the logs and finally settled in.  The Star Crossed course was mostly grass, some asphalt and a short bit on the Group Health Velodrome.  The corners were tight and fast and I lost time by slowing down too much on the 180s.  There were 4 or 6 girls all pretty close to me.  On each straight away I stood up, gaining ground on the girl in front of me, sometimes passing her, only to get passed back once we hit the more technical section.  The leading group was quite a ways in front of us, but didn’t seem to be increasing their lead too quickly. 

The first time I looked at the time clock, we were 23 minutes into a 40 minute race.  I had pulled out of my right pedal twice and lost my chain once.  I was racing smarter now; somehow calmer.  I quit making so many little mistakes and started working with the few other girls around me.  I would lead for a while, then get over taken on the technical infield section, sit on the wheel in front of me as we rode around the Velodrome, and then move into the lead after the barriers. 

With two laps to go, the pace picked up and everyone was wrestling for position.  I had my eye on a Black Mountain Cycles jersey in front of me; catching her on the back portion of the course, only to let her get away on a slick corner I didn’t trust myself to ride too fast. 

I put some space between me and a couple of other girls on the last set of logs and sprinted through the finish 3 seconds behind Black Mountain.  Yes, I said sprinted.  No, there wasn’t anyone right on my wheel and no, I didn’t think I could catch Black Mountain, but I wanted to sprint.  This was a race; aren’t you supposed to sprint at the end of a race?

I soft pedaled and rolled back to the starting area where I had left my jacket.  I didn’t know what to think about my performance; I finished 21^st out of 28 (there were 3 DNFs). I was disappointed, but I didn’t give myself anytime to really think about it.  The rain started to fall about then and I wanted to get changed and ready to watch Matt and Scotty race in the Men’s Elite Field, along side Page, Trebon, and Powers.

Sunday’s race, Rad Racing GP played out about the same; a humbling call-up, a super fast start, wicked fast pace; only this time I felt a little more “in it”.  I hung with the large chase group for the first half of the first lap until we hit a sketchy downhill section, where I used too much brake and got dropped pretty fast.  I scrambled to narrow the gap on the flats and the climbs, catching a number of the girls on the uphill section only to get dropped on the downhill.  This is the way the entire 40 minutes played out.  I ended up 18^th out of 23; disappointed because I think I could have pulled out 15^th place, but pleased that I felt like I had raced.

It is the beginning of long season.  Only my second season of racing.  I took a big step; moving from the Cross Crusade B field to the UCI Elite Field.  I am not making any excuses, I have a lot of work to do; but what I take home from this weekend is a awakened motivation, a fierce desire to ride fast and to ride well, and to train to the best of my ability in order to maybe, one day, be at the front of that pack instead of the back.

Check out videos of both Star Crossed and Rad Racing Here

Thrilla #3 - A Crash Course

A trace of road rash and a couple of holes in my skinsuit, a bruised ego, a bit of humility, and a 6 pack of 20” Brown.

This week’s Thrilla was, for me, strangely, the best race thus far in the series.  I learned a couple lessons that had not yet been on the syllabus.

I got off the line first, got too excited, tried to put space between myself and the rest of field too soon, got carried away and went down hard, on an uphill, climbing out of the pit – on the first lap.  How does one hit the deck on the uphill, you ask?  Loose Oregon moon dust, an aggressive out-of-the-saddle surge, and bam, I went down.

The short lead I had vanish as I tried to get my chain going, bending my right brake lever back, and tried in vain to regain my composure.

Five or six girls cruised by me as I spun my cranks and slowly began to make way up and out of the pit.  Now it was my turn to chase.  For a lap and a half I chased.

I made a lot of mistakes, gripping too tightly to my handle bars, riding stiff and unbalanced.  My right butt cheek started to sting and I almost lost it going around the 180 right before the barriers. 

Get it together Bishop.  

I knew I wasn’t riding well and then I saw Don out of the corner of my eye.

“Relax, calm down, calm down, you’re okay.”
I am not sure if these were his exact words, but this is what I heard. 

Around the corner and again I heard him,
“Be smart, take is slow, you got it.”
Don’s words hit home, I was able to relax a bit, accelerate out of the next corner and get my composure back – finally.  I took a deep breath.  I was riding in second place.

You can catch her, just be patient and ride smart.

By the next lap, I was back in the lead, but I didn’t know by how much.  I was still a little shaky and making small mistakes.  Don was there again,
“You have a good lead, just be smart, ride smooth.”
Again his words resonated with me and I finally began to feel comfortable on the saddle.

Three or four laps remained in the race and I rode then all a little better than the last.  I hammered up and out of the pit each lap like it was the last and my legs burned something awful.  Amazing thing though, if you just keep pedaling, the lactic acid somehow flushes out and you can do it all over again.

I crossed the finish line, relieved. 

First crash of the season; out of the way.  I crashed hard and I will undoubtedly do it again.  The key is to know how to recover, how to get yourself back together and get back on the saddle.  This I am just learning this and tonight I got the crash course.

With wounds scrubbed out, skinsuit awaiting repair, and belly full, my mind wanders to the weekend.  Star Crossed and Rad Racing Grand Prix are on the agenda.  Matt and I will make our way north to race with the big kids for two days of all-star rosters.  I am in way over my head, but what the heck, you have got to start somewhere and why not learn from the best.

Thrilla #2 - With an All-Star Line-Up

Only in Bend do you show up to the weekly Cross race and stand on the start line with Ryan Trebon, Jonathan Page and Chris Sheppard.  Thrilla #2 featured a stacked Men’s field and the excitement of Nationals this December is only growing. 

Riding in Central Oregon dust is treacherous, Page when down hard in a loose moon-dust corner.  Trebon took advantage of the mishap and redeemed himself after last week’s flat by taking home the 6 pack.

After a bit of nervousness, turned to excitement, my race almost didn’t happen. On my last practice lap, I got a bit too aggressive, took a turn just a little too fast, when down in the dust, and hit my front wheel hard, knocking it completely out of true and making it almost nonfunctional with the current brake adjustment. 

The final call for line-ups was made and I was still hanging out by the tents, trying to adjust my front brake cable so that my wheel would rotate without coming to a complete stop.  At this point, I had a couple of choices. 
1) Blame it on a mechanical, open a beer and be a cheerleader for the Sunnyside Team 
2) Start the race as-is and get a great workout with the added resistance of my front wheel on brake
3) Loosen up the brake cable, making them wide enough to function with an extremely wobbly wheel, while making braking power almost nonexistent.  


I picked option #3 and after some help from my friend J, I bolted down to the start line and hoped for the best.  Who needs a front brake anyway? They just slow you down.

The race played out similar to last week.  Loose 180 degree turns, Central Oregon dust, a long sketchy descent that took out the riders that didn’t respect the power of ball-bearing pea-gravel, the burning desire to finish the final 2 laps without getting passed by the leaders.

The semi-functional front brake gave me a couple of surprises early on, but soon I forgot about it in exchange for a intense focus on the burning pain in my left quad and the inability to breathe as a result of my dust encrusted throat and nostrils (you have got to love the Thrilla!).

The Sunnyside Team had a great turn out and raced strong.  Fox was beasting it out, overtook me on the climb out, leaving me with only his dust.  Damian, on the SS with a sloppy chain, took 6^th place; right up there with the big guns.  It is awesome to see so many brightly clad teammates cheering each other on and only pushing one another to go harder.

I came home with another 6 pack, a load of high fives, and a bit more confidence than last week.  A trip to Sunnyside is in order today; I have to get that front wheel straightened out so I can do it all again next week.

Nerves.

What is it about cross that makes me so nervous?

All I have to do is ride around in circles, jump off the bike, run over some barriers, hop back on the bike, shoulder the Yeti up & over the berm and keep on going until that darn white board says 1 lap to go.  Then….hurt like hell for one final go-round; wringing out anything I have left trying to not get passed by the likes of Trebon or Sheppard.

Dust, dirt, gravel, and a bunch of 180s.  I know how to run, jump, and pedal.

You don't have anything to be nervous about.

Just keep telling yourself that Bishop – just keep telling yourself that.

Thrilla #2 tonight - bring your cowbells.

Thrilla #1

That’s right folks, I finally got a skin suit.

So the skin suit is a long story, but to summarize, I have one, I wore it and I went fast.

Thursday marked the first day of Cyclocross Season. For the entirety of the road-racing season I have been thinking about cross; about riding the Yeti, about dismounts and remounts and run-ups, about mud and dust and cowbells. And now, it is upon us.

My nerves were on the edge; twitchy, uncertain, anxious. The turn-out for the first race of the WebCyclery Thrilla Cross Race was excellent, much bigger than last year and I recognized a number of out-of-town faces as we lined up. Among the locals, pros Ryan Trebon and Chris Sheppard were in the mix. The course had been expanded to spread out the field and challenge both the descending and climbing ability of the racers; bombing down into the gravel yard and climbing back up again. As I preroad the course with Renee, my only comment was, This is going to hurt.

As I stepped up to the line, I looked around at the other women. This was really going to hurt. I was fourth off the line, not sure where I would fall in and quickly moved into 3rd, then 2nd. I stayed 2nd wheel for the first couple of turns and on the first little climb, moved into the lead. And then I went for it. I had about 50 minutes of racing ahead of me. How long could I maintain the lead? How strong were the other girls, how strong was I? I never looked behind me, I just road.
The first set of barriers went well… okay, I calmed down a bit and kept hammering. Steep run-up, down into the gravel pit, I was passing some of the guys at this point and hoping that the gap between me and the rest of the girls was growing.

I didn’t look at the time board until it said 17min + 2 laps to go. I tried to calculate the number of laps I had already completed & how many more I had to go; but this sort of highly complex mathematical equation is impossible when you are choking on dust, grasping for oxygen, and trying to navigate through a bunch of guys.

It didn’t matter how long there was to ride, I just needed to keep riding hard until 2 laps to go and then ride harder. I stayed within my limits, feeling strong each time I climbed the hill out of the gravel pit, legs burning only slightly, recovering my breath any chance I got. With two laps to go, I had a pretty good lead, No Mistakes Bishop, Don’t Get Sloppy.

At this point my goal was to not get passed by the leaders, I wanted to ride both of the last laps and not get cut.  2 more laps, no problem. I made it over the berm and back into the front section of the course right as I heard the announcer say something about the leaders being not to far behind… deep breathe, go harder, don’t get caught. I made it up the hill and across the start/finish line without seeing the wheels of the leading men. One to go.

Chris Sheppard crossed the finish line, winning, soon after I had started my last lap, so there weren’t many people behind me. All the other women had been cut-off. I would win, but I didn’t want to slack off, I didn’t want to make any mistakes. I passed a couple more men on the final lap and crossed the line to an anti-climatic finish full of friendly faces, covered in dirt.
Inside I was smiling ear-to-ear, on the outside, I was gasping for breath and coughing like I had black lung.

Thrilla #1 down; a whole season ahead of me. Either Damian knows what he is talking about or my new skinsuit is really fast. Now, if only I did something about my helmet.

Check out race results and photos HERE