On 06 December 2009, I continued to raise awareness for On Point Foundation as I competed in a Category 4b Cyclocross race during the Chicago Cyclocross (CX) Turin State Championship at Montrose Harbor, Chicago, IL. 478 racers showed up to race for the final Chicago Cyclocross Cup race of 2009.
After my last CX race in Woodstock, IL, I was wondering if this was going to get any better. For those of you not from Chicago, you might have heard of lake affect weather conditions. Even though it was 38 degrees, it was cold enough for the puddles to be frozen all day due to the lake affect chill.
This was only my second CX race but this course was a very technical course; meaning there were a lot of obstacles, turns, and places that required a higher degree of riding ability. The course had three sand areas, one of which was about 300 feet long with 8-10 inch deep sand. I have not seen so many crashes in one area, over and over and over. Of course the hundreds of spectators with cowbells lined the sand trap area.
I took Shane’s, On Point’s elite adventure racer, advice and left the start line strong. Immediately after the start line was a series of hairpin turns and the crashes started, but not mine this time. The course is set up with barriers throughout the entire course, which in most places are only wide enough for about 3-5 racers. So the first part of the course had 73 racers going about 1-mile pre hour all bunched up turning in an area the size of an over-sized bathroom.
After exiting the hairpin turns there were two 18-inch high wooden obstacles, which made you dismount. As soon as you were able to remount came the first sand obstacle, where many races crashed. I dismounted and ran past many of them, which put me towards the front of the pack.
After a series of turns going up and down a 20-foot high hill was the monster sand pit. I watched the races throughout the day and knew the best tactics were to dismount before and carry my bike through the first 50 feet. Then I remounted and was able to ride through the rest of the probably 250 feet of soft sand.
After the sand was the second third series of hairpin turns going up two hills and under a bridge. Then finally a straightaway, but that did not last long. Two more 18-inch high wooded obstacles, more hairpin turns and another bridge.
Then the climb, the only large hill in the area was thoroughly used. Up the hill, some hairpin turns, down the hills, some turns, back up the hill, some turns, and down the hill. Obviously it was my weakest part as it slowed me way down, I am going to have to work on the peddling part of a bicycle race it really made me tired.
After the ridiculous hill action, was of course another set of hairpin turns on a small hill, and then you go back under the bridge. Then you go around a bend, through the third and final sand area, and back across the start line.
That was lap 1 of 3 laps and I was somewhere in the middle of the pack.
The rest of the laps went the same as the racers spread out, a nice way of saying I slowed down. During the entire race a lady wearing reindeer antlers was trading places with me, but she fell in the final sand area before the finish-line and I passed her fore the victory of 57th place.
Overall the race was a lot of fun. If you are looking for a bicycle race where people are there to have fun and its compacted enough for all of your friends and family to watch, CX is the sport for you. Do not get me wrong, it is a competitive sport with all the professionals in their own categories and even in my Category 4B the front runners are there to win, but for the rest of us it is an exciting race.
-Arlen-
