Bottom Feeder 'Cross!!!

So I've decided to enter the "blogosphere". Must be all the talking heads on the news, or that Twix advertisement where the guy invites the girl up to his place, to, uh, blog.

Anyway, I'm really into all things Cyclocross. Yeah, with a capital 'C'. 'Cross, as they say, is really about overcoming barriers. I hope to learn a few more things, overcome a few more barriers, maybe move up a couple spots over the season, not break anything, and share a little bit of it with you.

I'd also like to try and change up my routine during this, my third, season. I'm racing on tubulars this year, which I think has helped a little. I've been experimenting with tire pressure more, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. I'll be sharing that some, too.

I raced the Tennessee State Championship this weekend. It was pretty much disastrous. But that's okay, I learned some things. I didn't eat my usual breakfast (Cheerios), I ate1/2-hour later than usual, and I cramped on the first lap. I had a cruddy start. But I dressed perfectly for the weather. I bumped up the tire pressure pretty substantially - 40 psi in the back, and 36 in the front, and that felt pretty good for the relatively dry, grassy course. Anything softer and I would have been fighting the tire too much. The course was pretty decent, with a couple good little climbs (one deceptively steep - I ran it once), a run-up with railroad ties, and two sets of barriers. It was a compact little course, the spectators were into it, all while they played that Kenny Loggins song, "Danger Zone". That really got my blood pumpin', Goose.

I rode two easy, crampy laps, then let loose with a pretty full-on effort for the last three. On my fifth, I got lapped and pulled, for the first time in a couple of seasons. That hurt, and I was pretty disappointed about it. But...

That said, I had wicked great fun. I raced the state championship, and gave it everything I had, with a bunch of guys who are way faster than me, not the guys I normally "compete" with. My running is getting better, and I'm smoother over barriers. I've ALMOST eliminated the stutter step. So close.

This weekend we've got two races in Fayetteville, the "Beat the Freak" races. I'd like to place in the top half, at least on one day. I suspect it will be pretty grassy and dry again, and probably low-40's by the time I race. We'll see how it goes.