Well the 2009 Sacramento CycloCross Series wrapped up on January 16th and I'm already looking forward to next year. I've been meaning to write-up a short post for a while now but just haven't had the time.
I completed 4 out of 5 total races and finished up 13th overall out of 100+ Men's C racers. Not too bad for my first full season of cross. Next year I'll race in the 35+ B group. This will be good for a number of reasons. One, I won't have to get up so early as these races are usually just after noon. And two it will be easier for me to bring Lex to the races so he can do the kids races held at noon. He had a total blast on the Granite Bay course ripping through the sand and mud. And the third reason will be to race in my age group and not worry about 18 year old kids blowing me out of the water. The competition won't be easy, but at least it should be more balanced for me.
I'm also planning to stop my road racing season in August, and take a good rest, then do some cyclocross specific training in the fall & winter. I've already noticed coming into spring this year that I'm a lot stronger on the road bike as compared to previous years. The high intensity cross races are really great training and help keep you very fit through the winter months.
Cyclocross is such a fun sport I can't even begin to describe it. It's something that you just have to try for yourself. Even if you don't own a cross bike, just head down to a local race and jump in the C group with your mountain bike. Heck last year the kid who won the C series was on a 29er mountain bike. It's a good group of people who like to have fun and race bikes in the dirt. The courses are always different and pose a new challenge each race. Of course the conditions can range as well. This past year we had pretty good weather. One day was 100+ while others were cold, windy and wet.
My favorite race of the year was out at Lange Twins Winery. The mud was described as "peanut butter" - which pretty much sums it up. A major energy suck from your legs trying to pedal through that stuff. The course had a great mix of fast pavement/gravel sections, some tricky off camber hill sides, some steep short climbs, and of course the mud!
Many thanks to the Sacramento CX crew for putting on a great series of racing. Can't wait til next year!
