Sunday at the races - cyclocross at Creve Coeur Park
Oh boy this cyclocross stuff looks like a lot of work. I just got back from the local cyclocross races. I saw a ton of good racing and even more pain and suffering.
Looked like stark raving mad fun to me.
I'm definitely going to have to give this a try. All I need is a frame and fork and a whole bike's worth of components.
And probably a lot more top end fitness.
I didn't see much time trialing going on. Every bit of the way racers surged and braked and poured on the gas yet again. Technical skills are a must. You better be able to grind some too. There were a few of those slow gradual climbs to tempt a racer into the red zone. Most of the riders that went by were huffing and puffing the whole way.
I'm not too wild about those barriers though. I saw a couple of riders catch a foot and fall over them. While the laying down part sounds attractive the getting there from a dead run with bike in hand sounds pretty painful. Nobody got hurt though. Falling down on grass is a lot better for a body than falling on asphalt or concrete at 30mph.
We had a great time watching them all go round and round. I can see why people like cyclocross so much.
Here are a couple of the better photos I got from the race, plus a larger version of the one above.
The racers lined up for the start. Who is that guy in the red helmet? He looks fast.
Here are those barriers I mentioned. They are serious business. They don't give, they're tall and they're positioned just around a corner and going up hill. Just perfect for putting the hurt on a body. There's that guy in the red helmet again... That's Bobber. Notice the smart technique, no wasted energy.
Moe and I watching the race. Well, Moe's not so interested right at the moment. Hey that's Pete. Red Wheel was represented at today's race. Pete was riding his Surly Cross Check single speed in the race today. None of that complicated gearing stuff to get in the way. Pete cycled in about 20 miles for the race today. He took third place, smiled and then turned around and rode back home.
Great Photos
Thanks for the photos! There will be more to see both from me and from Kurt who's a pro photographer that comes out and shoots us every week. Some of his will be up at Cycling news.
Yeah, those barriers were probably the worst all year. They were on an incline and there was quite a bit of hill left after you cleared them too. And there was no momentum to speak of when you came to them. I caught my foot a couple of times. I much prefer barriers that you can take with some momentum. They are much more fun. These were just HR pushers, guaranteed to spike that heart rate every lap! I don't know how or why those guys were portaging their bikes over them! Very silly in my opinion.
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