Barton Park - Cross Crusade # 8 finale

Photo Oregon Cycling Action

Damian said it well in a twitter post "the crusades started with a bang and finished with a whimper" the same held true for me. Some strong early season races had me really psyched about my fitness and how I was riding, but mechanical issues in the last 4 races have left me with less than stellar results. I know it's not just about results though, I don't let that discourage me, and the Crusades aren't the only game in town. There are still a few more local/regional races coming up and then it's the big show- Cyclocross Nationals in Bend. It's 'cross and sometimes mechanicals are part of the game, flat tires, broken dertailleurs, busted spokes, wobbly wheels, and shitty luck sometimes factor in.

I had a blast out there yesterday despite my flat tire. I was having a good race, loving the mud, and feeling strong, I ended up running almost an entire lap to the pit, not because I had any hope of finishing the race in a good position (I was as far from the pit as could be) but because I wasn't done, I wanted more, I wanted to keep going, because it was a blast out there. And I had a blast even though I had no chance...I tried to pull some teammates and Bend folks around when I could, I snagged some hand ups, and just enjoyed chasing folks around. This morning my legs were more sore from running than riding, my shoulder hurt from carrying the bike, and I still had mud in my eyes. It's cross, I love it despite the frustration it can dish out. You just have to take each race in stride and go after the next one.

Sometimes it all clicks and you have an amazing ride, that's what it's about, and that's what makes it worth it. I'm gonna get back on the bike and keep chasing that ride.

Speaking of rides...Serena had one! An awesome finish in 2nd and a super strong ride. Mike put in a big effort to finish off a super strong season. Don was back home after some serious driving across the country and he was out battling and looking smooth on all the stuff that made everyone else flounder. D was up with a strong group and suffered a flat with a couple to go. There was a whole crew of sunnyside folks out racing and cheering, that's what cross is for, cheering on teammates through it all. See ya next weekend!


Photo- Matt Haughey

Cyclocross Crusade #7 -

This little guy ended my race before it even really started. After about 2 laps as I stood up to spin up onto the gravel the derailleur broke in two and managed to go into the spokes and take a few of those out too. My race was over, no pit bike, far from the pit I walked to the hose and called it a day. It's frustrating, I've had mechanical issues the last three races, but sometimes that's how it goes. It definitely takes some of the motivation away, but I got on the bike Monday and will put in some solid training in the next couple weeks before a little taper going into cyclocross nationals. There's only one crusade race left, then USGP's which are always crazy fast and fun, then cyclocross nationals. A huge shout out needs to go out to Mike and to Sunnyside Sports, they've taken the bike week after week this season and got it back and rolling even better than it was previously. The thanks and beer I deliver them for their awesome service and attention to detail don't even cover it. THANKS!

This afternoon I rode around with some of the junior and high school cyclocross kids from town at the site of the time trial course for nationals. It was cold, a little windy, and there was a couple inches of snow on the ground. I can only hope that conditions aren't too much worse during nationals. It was fun out there.

Damian has a whole slew of race reports and photos up go check em out. Serena had a weekend of dominating the ladies up in Seattle, check out her report. Don had a great race in the mud and won again, he is on the road doing intervals in hotels, read up.

Back to riding in the garage as the darkness keeps catching me with no time...With that comes a hunt for new music to listen to while doing intervals in a sweaty garage...any suggestions?

Here's what I have going right now
-Kid Cudi - the new album is super good
-Ghostland Observatory
-Free Energy
- Pandora - Rap

Whatcha got?

Balance

Seeing as it's already Wed night and I am just now turning some attention to this blog, I feel like last weekends racing was a long time ago, and I don't have the energy to remember back that far to recall the muddy, pain filled, crash-fest that was my weekend. I had a blast, that is the report from last weekend, really, it was fun, and I didn't have great results, but it was a great time.photo- pedalpowerphotography.com


What I have been thinking a lot about lately is balance. How do you balance work, relationships, chores around the house, bike maintenance, training, racing, and all the other things that don't fall into these neat little categories...There are lots of sacrifices that must be made, prioritizing done, things pushed aside until...well, thanksgiving I guess.

I have a relatively easy schedule to balance compared to those with 9-5 jobs. I have never been one to get up early and do a workout...I suppose if I didn't have to be at work till later, maybe I could pull that off, but I work roughly from 7am to 3pm (usually its more like 4pm). I am not about to get up at 5am to do intervals. I don't have more than 40 min at lunch. Most days I am lucky to be home and on the bike by 5. These short fall days, getting on the bike at 5 means packing the blinky lights and finishing workouts in the dark. By the time I get home I clean up, stretch, make some dinner and by the time that everything is cleaned up I'm left with maybe an hour of free time. There is so much that gets pushed aside, put off, delayed, left out. That's cross season, that's the way the fall goes.

I am in awe of riders who are successful with much tougher schedules, with families, with different work schedules, with hours that make riding outside nearly impossible. I don't have a lot of patience for riding in the garage when it's beautiful outside. It's all about priorities and balance. The sacrifices we make are part of playing this game we get to play. Sure, it's hard, but you make it a priority because it's something you do, it's who you are, because it's more than a hobby. Some days it's a fight to get on the bike with things getting in the way, other days it's it's a mental fight. Some days it's the exhaustion, it's been a long day, and sitting down with some coffee and magazine sounds like a great afternoon. But, getting on the bike is more than a hobby, it's something I need, even when I am exhausted, especially when I am exhausted. Staying balanced is just as big a challenge as any 'cross race.