What I learned from my first cyclocross race.
August 22, 2019.
Before this day I thought I was an athlete. I was a marathon runner and triathlete. I played sports in high school and college. On this particular Sunday, I played a lesser-known sport. I entered my first bike race. My local bike shop told me cyclocross would be fun. And sure it was fun. It was also incredibly challenging.
Cyclocross changed how I thought about fitness.
Over the past few years, I participated in countless group rides. I was craving a bike race but did not know where to start. After an unusually good ride with my club, I encountered an ad for a cyclocross event on Instagram. And boom, I was in the cyclocross relay.
What is Cyclocross?
I did a quick search on YouTube . It looked grand. Cyclists were running up and downstairs, jumping over barricades, and doing switchbacks on steep hills. My instinct was that If I was good at road racing in group rides then I should be good at cyclocross. Maybe, I’ll even get to the podium?
My roommate and I entered the XXX Cyclocross Relay together. And here is the tail of the disaster that ensued.
When it comes to training, Failure is the goal.
We signed in at the desk and changed in the Port’O’Poddies. We saw a bunch of riders getting in line at the start without their bikes. We followed their lead. We dumped the bikes in the graveyard and ran to the start.
A race official began to yell at the 60 some participants in this Cat 4 / 5 race.
“Listen up”, he said, “If you are unhappy with the results, you probably didn’t train enough.”
The riders chuckled. These words would ring true on lap number three.
I was not fit. I had trained my body to do one small portion of cyclocross. I knew how to ride at a consistent pace on tarmac. I did not bother to learn how to pick up my heavy bike over barricades, how to shift my weight forward and backward while going into a downhill. I was not prepared for the event. I did not put in the necessary workload. If you want to be good at a discipline you must practice to you can’t practice anymore. Train in many different ways. Failure leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Since the event, I have been going to the gym. I developed a training plan online to keep track of my progress. People can get a lot done when they are motivated. Failure is one of those fight or flight motivators. Go fail. See what it does do you psyche and your ego.
Push your limits. Fail. Rest. Repeat.
Execute the Event.
Training is good but can only get you so far. Whatever thing you want to do or dream of doing, you must. A big problem in our society is overtraining and lack of doing. A friend of mine rode her first bike race a few weeks back. I remember being jealous of her. She didn’t get to the podium, but she was in the race. She was doing something I wanted to do for years. I didn’t have the guts. She signed up for the race and let the rest work itself out. I was so proud and jealous of her for getting into the game. It's hard to quit watching other people live their lives. Its a hell of a lot easier to sit back and watch. Society is full of commentators and spectators. Humans don’t have to live this way. You won’t see any glory in spectating.
Theodore Roosevelt said, “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by the dust and the sweat and blood.”
Whether you win or lose is insignificant. Better to have played and lost than never played at all.
Finish with Adversity.
Do not let distractions get in the way. Chains may break. Wrecks will happen. Don’t let the chaos get in the way. Keep going. Finish.
While racing a lot went wrong. I wrecked my bike into a ravine.
I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed the bike and hammered up the hill. I figured I could assess my bumps and bruises while finishing the lap. The wreck caused my saddle to get stuck at a 45-degree angle. The remainder of the lap was painful and awkward. I had to be up out of the saddle. I pushed on and tagged my roommate who began his lap. During the break, I was able to readjust the seat and get ready for my final lap.
On my final lap, I had figured out some of the subtleties of the course. Each lap was pain. I approached the final set of barricades. My roommate yells, “Make this your best one yet.” I unclip my right cleat going into the turn. I unclip my left cleat. Now I’m ready for the barricade. At this moment my right clip somehow reclips. Uh. oh. I can’t jump off the bike to carry it over the barricade. I slam into the barricade. I pick myself up and grab the bike. I stumble across the three barricades and hop on the bike. My chain has been dropped. I start panicking to adjust the chain. When I hear Tyler, “Run it. Run the bike. Finish the race.”
Its a 100 meters to the finish. I sprint the bike and I hear the announcer.
“Can you believe it? This rider has a dropped chain and is now running the bike to the finish.”
I needed to finish. I couldn’t let anything get in my way. Tyler and I did not make it to the podium. But we did beat the people who didn't show up. You always beat the people who don’t show up.
