10/28/2009
I knew cyclocross racing was hardcore. I’d seen the pictures of racers covered in mud over nearly every inch of their body. I’d heard the stories of guys racing balls out until they puke. Go as fast and as hard as you can for maybe 45 minutes or an hour. Then go to the sidelines with a beverage in your one hand and a cow bell in the other and cheer on the next class of racers. This was something I needed to see.
On October 24, 2009 at the Murrysville Community Park in southwestern PA I witnessed my first race. I went as a spectator and swore to return as a competitor. It looked too intense to not try and take part in it. Here is what I saw.
The first thing I noticed as I approached the race course was the beauty of the area. Murrysville, PA in the fall is a spectacular place to be. Of course it doesn’t rival upstate Maine or New Hampshire or anywhere out west but as far as a mid-Atlantic state is concerned, with the autumn bite in the air and rolling suburban hills, it is fantastic. The colors under the gray sky roared brilliantly. The greens, reds, yellows, purples and even the browns were fantastic. It had rained and the course would be muddy. A better introduction to cyclocross racing I couldn’t ask for.
The Cat 4 guys were racing when we arrived. For every svelte guy wearing a matching kit there was a guy carrying a few too many pounds with mismatched, loose fitting clothing. This was where I wanted to be. These were the guys out there competing and having fun. These were the guys who didn’t necessarily have any aspiration to stand atop the podium. Their goals were their own. Maybe it was just trying to keep something alive from a distant past. Maybe it was to try and rekindle something they’d lost recently. Maybe it was to show their kids their old man still had it in him. Whatever the reason, these guys were out there busting their asses for the hell of it.
The gals went off next and we saw the start. Almost immediately one gal in particular fell behind. As she approached my son on the side of the course she said, “Hello.” Her face beamed with pleasure. She was certainly not out trying to win but she was out there on that course and for the next hour she would put her body through some pretty tough shit. Near the end as she lifted her legs over the barriers and then climbed back on the bike what went through her mind? We saw her several times on the course and the smile was always there for the people cheering her on.
We saw the exact opposite from another gal. I’m not sure what her name was but she was one of the leaders in the beginning. At one point, however, she crashed out. Instead of quitting she carried on. Her ankle was trashed. She rode gingerly but the pain on her face was most evident when she had to carry her bike over the barriers. She persisted and ended up finishing. I saw her gimping around after the race and she was upset with her bad luck. I was impressed with her tenacity. Again, this is not the stuff that road weenies are supposed to be made of. Who exactly are these hardcore riders who excel in this mud and agony?
Last to go off were the Cat 1 guys. Their speed was obvious. Their laps were faster. Several of them made it up the short incline at the top of the course without dismounting. They just stood and pushed on the big rings and paid no attention to the fact that their tires were skinny and the incline was greasy. At one point one of the riders veered off course a bit and crashed right into my 10 year old son. The crowd roared and my son cheered as the rider got back on course. There was no harm done to my son and he will probably never forget the sight of a guy climbing a hill and then veering the wrong way and then riding over his leg. I heard one guy yell, “Two points for running over the kid!” Only in cyclocross.
I didn’t get out a tape measure and I’m not sure if there is some standard regarding the barriers in cyclocross, but there was one rider who managed to jump them. Apparently this rider switched to a mountain bike after the first lap and just continued to put on a show. If I had to guess I’d say he finished in 4th place. But the crowd was thrilled every time he made his approach. Does the mountain bike factor diminish the obvious skills this guy had that were needed to bunny hop the barriers?
All in all I totally loved the atmosphere. And I know I will be back some day as a competitor. As I drove out of the parking lot both attendants thanked me for coming. Talk about positive vibrations.