Report: Cyclocross at PIR…I’m hooked!
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on October 16th, 2005 at 3:46 pm
(This content is sponsored by Cyclepath Bike Shop, authorized Mountain Cycle dealer).
I finally entered my first cyclocross race…and it was a blast! Cyclocross is a mix of everything I like about bike racing; technical sections, short climbs, fast flats, mud, and a bunch of people who show up just to have a good time.
Once again Molly and her Veloshop crew put on a hell of a race. You could tell the course was designed by pain-loving cross racers with an eye for fun. It included:
- Tough, strategically placed barricades, including one at the top of a run-up, one followed by a concrete slab you had to step up on to and one at the bottom of a hill.
- A flat section strewn with a sea of tiny rocks just waiting to suck up your front wheel if you lost your line
- Off-camber grassy sections that were super-slippery (before drying out later in the day).
- Tight, hairpin corners.
- Muddy, slippery run-ups.
- Short but steep climbs.
And believe it or not, we were even graced with the presence of a blimp! But that wasn’t the only exciting thing to see…I was lucky to be introduced to none other than Jacquie Phelan. Jacquie is a true mountain bike pioneer, the first woman inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and was riding in the dirt before I was out of diapers! She was in town for the PSU Cycling Symposium on Saturday and used the occassion to reunite her famous WOMBATS (the Women’s Mountain Bike and Tea Society).
I wasn’t sure how my day would go, since the first time I rode a cross bike was last night. I used a demo model from the nice folks at Cyclepath Bike Shop. They set me up with a Stumptown from local bike company Mountain Cycle. I expected all sorts of pains and soreness to show up (since I haven’t ridden for months), but the bike was surprisingly comfortable, stable, and basically it went wherever I pointed it.
I’m not sure how I finished (I don’t think I was last) I got 23rd place! and I’m really happy with how I rode. I stayed upright, did OK on the barricades, and still had some fight in me toward the end. The best part was that my ladies showed up to cheer me on!
There’s plenty more cyclocross action left this season. I’d highly recommended checking it out. If I can find another bike to ride, I’m definitely racing next weekend. Hope to see you there!
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October 17th, 2005 14:16
Congrats Johnathan! Sounds like you had some fun out there. I'm glad you got a chance to ride the Stumptown. Thanks for representing MC!
December 16th, 2005 09:42
[...] This is the last of three Veloshop races this year and they’ve all been great successes due to the hard work and panache of Molly Cameron and her Veloshop groupies teammates. I was at the first race out in Hood River (report and photos) and the second race at PIR (report and photos). [...]