"Sometimes you just have to race a doughnut up a hill!"
Recently, I was at a local CX race and a fellow, female cyclist (a roadie who just started racing cross) mentioned that I should start a blog or do a podcast with information about training and racing for the "average" female cyclocross athlete. At the time, I kind of nodded and told her that I would think about it.
To be honest, I had no intention of writing a blog or sharing my thoughts and experience with the public (sorry Dixie). Why would anyone care about me or what I have to say? However, the idea kept tickling the back of my mind so I finally mentioned it to my boyfriend, Chris, and his response was: "Maybe you should."
"Well, what would I write about?" I asked. "Anything," he said. "I'm sure there are a lot of women out there who are looking for advice and information about cyclocross." He did have a point. I mean, if Lindsay Bayer and Molly Hurford can do it, why can't I? (*I am certainly NOT comparing myself to these ladies. They are at a completely different level with this, but you get my point.)
So here I am: writing a blog about my experience as a cyclist, mainly training and racing cross. However, before I get into any details about skills, technique, nutrition, race prep, etc, I have to start at the very beginning...
There are 2 questions that I get asked quite often by people who either know nothing about cyclocross or who are just getting into it:
How did you get into this crazy sport?
How do you balance work, training, and racing?
"Shake the dust!"
Entering the world of cyclocross:
When people ask how and why I got into cross, I usually start with: "Well, I am a recovering distance runner turned triathlete turned roadie." That's a good opener. Back in the day when I was a young lass in high school and college, I raced cross country and track (running). However, while living in Japan and training for a marathon, I became injured and was told I couldn't run for six months to a year. My options were cycling and swimming. At the time, I considered them a temporary replacement, but I soon found my love for the bike and became cycling-obsessed.
Two years later, I was racing in my first triathlon back in the States. For reasons that I won't discuss now, I shifted my focus from triathlon to road cycling and started racing. For the next six years, I raced off and on the road, working my way up through the roadie ranks from Cat 4 to Cat 2. I love racing my bike, but there was something missing for me on the road. I am a cross country runner at heart and love being in the woods; however, mountain biking intimidates me. Something about careening down a singletrack trail between trees and over rocks makes me nervous.
One day, while hanging out in my local bike shop, one of the mechanics said: "You should try cross. It's awesome!" At the time, I had no idea what cyclocross was, but after watching a few videos, I was hooked. I acquired a cross bike (which looks like a road bike with treaded tires) and went to my first race: Apple Cross in Winchester, VA.
Thinking back on that day, I can't help but laugh at myself. A friend of mine met me early that morning before the race to walk me through basic cross skills like dismounting and remounting, hopping logs, jumping barriers, and carrying my bike. I literally had NO idea what I was doing, had never raced (let alone attended) a cross race before, and had barely ridden my bike aside from a few gravel rides. How hard could it be? I thought.
If you've ever raced cross, you can answer that question yourself. F&@$#! hard! However, it's the kind of challenge that leaves you feeling alive and pumped! There's nothing else like it: the anxiety at the start, the adrenaline rush of the first lap, the realization that you are racing through crowds of people (who are drinking beer and partying), the fact that you have to jump obstacles with your bike, the hand-ups, the heckling, the run-ups, the flyovers, the stairs, everything! It's basically an obstacle course bike party!
That race in Winchester was three years ago. A memory popped up on Facebook the other day reminding me of it with a video. Watching myself flail over the barriers and almost face-plant reminds me that everyone has to start somewhere. I started as a Cat 4 just like everyone else and worked my way up each year to somehow, miraculously finish 2nd place in this year's Women's Masters (35-39) and Industry races at CX Nationals in Hartford, CT and make my final upgrade to Cat 1. Now, I am racing the Women's UCI/Elite races as a member of the Vanderkitten-Entourage Racing Team/VKCX and "living the dream" (so they say).
How did that happen? I have no idea! I ask myself that quite often. I'm sure it had something to do with hard work and dedication, as well as a great deal of support from family, friends, sponsors, and some kickass coaches :-)
Moral of the story: If you are considering doing cross, stop thinking about it and JUST DO IT!!! You won't regret it, I promise. (But if you do, don't blame me. I take no responsibility for your actions...unless you love it, in which case I will take full credit.)
Finding the work-training-racing-life balance:
To be continued in my next blog post...