Well, another weekend and another cyclocross race is in the legs and soul. Today was a fine day of racing and hanging out with good people. I’ve always liked racing at Catamount and today was no exception.

As usual there was a lot of climbing and lots of big wide fast corners – a good combination that requires lungs, determination, and some cornering skills. There were also the requisite big rocks to dodge and trees on courses, but this just adds to the spicyness of the day!

Got in a couple of early warm-up laps and then I cheered on Marc (thanks to Karl for doing the pits). Marc gad a solid race and was in a big chase group for most of the race. With a good ride Marc finished in 9th. Then his second race of the day started – helping me out with pre-race prep.

After a good warm-up and some positive talk from Marc I was ready to go. I managed to make myself a tad nervous but after chatting with a few people on the short ride to the start line I was okayish. Good roster of racers on the line and before I knew it, we were off! My start was sluggish and I spent the bulk of the first lap and a half catching and passing people. I managed to settle into a good rhythm and focused on the next person in front of me. In the end I got outsprinted at the line and finished 8th. I had caught and passed my competitor in the last 200 meters or so but didn’t have the gas to hold on.

Many thanks to the young guns for their cheering, to Marc for all his work, cheering and kind words. Big thanks to my parents for the cheers and photos!

A very big thank-you to Sophie for her very kind words after the race. It really was so nice.

Really good to connect with lots of friends again. Excellent day. A good ride but still lots of things that need improvement and refinement. The best thing about today was that I felt like a bike racer again. I raced calmly, didn’t panic, took some risks, kept on digging and really left it out there. In contrast to last week when I hated doing 5 laps – this week I wanted another one so I could keep on pushing things. So today was good but there are many lessons from the day and I feel lucky to be able to get out again and do it again.

Thanks for the emails, comments, Facebook posts and Tweets – these really do have an impact.

So the first race weekend of the 2011-2012 cyclocross season is in the books. More importantly the racing is in the legs and soul. I’ve had a few people ask me directly and obliquely about how I’m “really” feeling about my racing on the weekend.

Well, to be 100 per cent honest – I’m feeling: okay with it. Just as I wrote on this site on Saturday and Monday – I’m okay with the racing. I knew I wasn’t going to come back and be right where I was in 2009-2010 – I will get there again but it wasn’t going to happen in the first races of the season or even in the first few weekends of racing.

There is a big difference between racing and training. Yes, you and I drill ourselves in training but this is a very different sensation physically and mentally than having someone else push you to your limits in a race. It is this feeling that I forgot and I need to get familiar with again.

I’m very happy that I’ve decided to start my cyclocross season early so that when I get to my goal races, I’ll be ready to go and everything will be fine-tuned: pre-race prep, warm-up, starts, technical riding, mental sharpness, post-race recovery and training. All of these fit together to make up a puzzle – if one piece is missing, the puzzle isn’t going to look the way we want.

Right now my puzzle is coming together. The pieces are a bit jagged and a couple are missing – but with time and patience – the puzzle will come together. There is no point in panicking after one weekend of racing and only two months of training.

It will come. I will get there. Until then I have to set small goals and focus on building the best puzzle I can. So, not to worry – I’m okay with the weekend. It would have been awesome to come out and be right back where I was two years ago – but it didn’t happen. I will get there. No doubt in my mind.

Well, the first race of the season is in the books! I must admit that I could have done without a muddy race for my first race in a very very long time – but that’s bike racing!

The day went really well – some good learning points – some successes and some areas that I definitely know I can improve on for tomorrow. Exactly what I was hoping to get from this first race. As a sign of how long it has been since I’ve packed a race bag – I forgot to bring pins and a towel…

So the race – well the result is not groundbreaking: 19th. But I’ll take it. Deep deep down I was hoping for a top ten. Deep down I was aiming for a top 15. On the surface, I was aiming for a day of fun bike racing with some good take-aways.

For the first time in about three years, I had a decent start – I wasn’t last off the line and I actually sprinted! Definite checkmark in the win column. But what I discovered pretty quickly is that it is a bit hairy when you’re in the mix at the start – I hesitated and backed off – giving up some crucial spots. For a while I was sitting in tenth… Then a few girls went by me and I was sitting in the top 15.

I did have a mechanical in the second lap which was a bit frustrating – racing with a bicycle seat that is pointing straight up in the air is not fun! But luckily Marc was in the pit and I was quickly on my spare bike. There were three mud bogs – two were ridable and one was a definite slog of a run. There was also a muddy run in the woods. The course also had the standard twists and turns as well as a couple of ups and downs. A good creative course with the wet tall grass and mud being a big factor.

In the last two laps (we did five laps – in my opinion one too many laps since I was out there for a well over 40 minutes) – I gave up four spots – partly out of definite fatigue, over-gearing, some tightness in the corners, and another mechanical – this time the seat on my other bike decided to get in on the action and was suddenly pointing straight up – time for another bike change!

Big thanks to Marc who raced to a very fine 9th place in a deep and competitive field and then quickly changed and stood in the pits for me – couldn’t do this without him.

So, how am I feeling? Well, I’m happpy to have the first race done and out of the way. I was very nervous beforehand but I remembered what my friend Sheri told me last weekend – everyone is nervous. I feel okay – obviously 19th is not where I want but I have to look at the performance and not the outcome.

My take-aways are:
– goodish start need to keep going and be more aggressive
– need to contintue to turn the wheel and complete my turns
– look up at all times
– pay attention to my gearing – I don’t always need to be in the big ring
– look for places to recover – I really gassed myself in the first three laps and wasn’t able to continue to sprint out of the corners or run as well as I would have liked
– barriers went well
– little steep climbs were better than have been
– my mud riding was pretty good (thank-you Belgium!)

Mentally I had a couple of low moments but I think this is normal when you’re going hard. I can say I haven’t hurt this badly in a long time – nothing like a bike race to really put the hurt in your lungs and legs!

All in all – a good day. I got to hang out with some good friends. I’m very happy for Marc as well. The post-race clean-up was time consuming but now the bikes are sparkling clean, the clothes are washed and we’re ready for tomorrow.

Tomorrow I have a few goals:
– better gearing
– have a good start again
– recover on the course so I can go really hard when I need to
– turn better

Alright, this is a bit long – sorry I couldn’t write two posts – I’m blogging from my iPad and can’t figure out how to access some sections of my website…

Oh, and in case you didn’t see this: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/chase/5377975/story.html

And now – back to the Food Network – it is a Chopped marathon!

We made pretty good time and got into Trexlertown at around 4:30 – luckily the highway around Binghamton, NY was still open for us – not the case for the folks driving North on the 81. (Not sure what we’ll do for the drive home – but we don’t have to worry about this until Sunday!) The flooding in the area is pretty crazy.

We made a quick stop at the race course to see how soggy and muddy it really is. We decided not to ride the course due to not having an easy way to clean our bikes (luckily we discovered a car wash across from our hotel for tomorrow!). But from what we saw, it is definitely soggy and soft – muddy but not European muddy. By the time I race in the early afternoon I’m sure some sections will be very chewed up.

Had a pretty relaxed night here at the hotel – some supper and then a stop off at Wegman’s and Starbucks. We are spoiled here at the hotel to have a television so I’ve been watching the Food Network!

Looking forward to racing tomorrow. Marc races before me and then I’m up at 1:15ish. I’m feeling good. Just looking forward to having some fun on the bike.

I’ll post a race report tomorrow. Nothing quite like the first race of the season – no expectations – just get out there and race my bike – oh and show off my new purple Ottawa.cx kit. (If you’re in Ottawa – pick up the Ottawa Citizen tomorrow – there is an article about me and cyclocross in the newspaper.)

Alright, time to get back to the Food Network – Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives is on!