it's been 48 hours since the hermann cyclocross race ended, and now my thoughts about it are more clear. i had a lot of adrenaline going over that crazy race, but now i'm thinking straight.
it was fun. as a matter of fact, it was as much fun as i had at the greensfelder mtn bike race. now, you all know how much i hate mud. yet, somehow, the mud didn't diminish the fun too much. i wasn't happy about the mud, but the course and the action was such that the mud was a background distraction.
my bike worked really well. i may have to experiment with tire pressure a bit more. and i think i could choose some better brake pads for the carbon rims, too. all in all, the bike was a tool during the race, as it should be, rather than a distraction.
it's true that i could probably get through a cyclocross race without water. i don't want to, but i think i can. i probably took 3 drinks total from my mud encrusted bottle that night. after checking out all of the riders bikes, it was painfully clear that drinking was not on their minds. i remember butthead making fun of me a couple of years ago at a cross race for having bottles. hell, what do i know about 'cross??
i don't have the reverse brake thing going yet. i'm just not that smart to be able to distinguish between the 'cross bike and my other bikes and get it right. ooops, over the bars. ooops, over the bars. ooops...you get the idea.
there are a couple of races to do before 'cross becomes the only game in town. there's the short track race and the final norba race at spanish lake. then it's all 'cross, all the time.
...and i hope i improve.
2 comments:
TK, here are my thoughts on getting faster. The key to going fast is doing tons and tons of threshold work. I spend my late summers and fall on the katy trail riding about about 90ish% of my max doing long ass intervals. I start with 5mins and then work myself to 50mins as the weeks go by... This year I have added a bike trailer into the mix with my son.
It is not rocket science. You already can start fast and handle the bike. You need to develop your ability to put out sustained power.
Barriers, mud, and run ups are just watered down mtb tricks. You have that stuff covered so forget about it.
DO NOT SWITCH YOUR BRAKES!
THAT'S CLASSY! one of the best guys in our region giving advice to me, unsolicited.
thanks very much, josh. great stuff.
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