Devon's Blog: September 2009

Monday, September 28, 2009

Planet Bike Cup

Coming back to the midwest was a blast - a venue filled with friends and familiar faces and a great cyclocross vibe! Thanks to JP and Renee and their crew of volunteers for putting together a super fun and well run venue.

The race was top notch competition and a tough course -- and usually racing is the highlight of my weekend, but this weekend the highlight might have been seeing my big brother compete in his first cyclocross race ever!

I love seeing newbies discover 'cross. It's kind of like an addictive drug -- one try and you're hooked. But getting people to take that first "taste" is the hardest part. They've heard stories. They know that 'cross is 30/40/60 minutes of "pain". They've seen the scrapes and bruises that develop throughout a season of taking muddy slips, missing a clip in, etc... Try to explain the joy of 'cross to disbelievers and you just get this "you are crazy" look in return. They don't understand how fun cyclocross is!!

And my brother was no different from your typical disbeliever. It took years of explaining and convincing. I had to arrange a cyclocross bike from santa. I had to build him barriers and take him to a park. I had to call and remind him not to neglect the cross bike. And then finally I convinced him to come race with me! (however, i neglected to tell him the trick about signing up early to get a good start spot -- sorry Seth)

Anyway, the rest of the story is obvious... he raced, he loved it, he's hooked! (he's also pretty good... started about 90th and ended up in the 20's! Yay!)

(Seth starting at the back... i was so excited during the race that i forgot to take more pics)

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Vegas

Vegas has never really appealed to me -- don't gamble, don't drink, don't stay up late (i'm no fun) and I don't love the desert. But bring in Interbike with the world of cycling and add a cyclocross race and Vegas is suddenly the place to be! And Vegas does have a few other things going for it... it's pretty cool that you can see the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, and a Pirate Ship all on one street.

Interbike was a bit overwhelming with a giant convention center full of bike toys -- it brought me back to those days of being a kid in Toys-R-Us... feeling so small and surrounded by tons of fun! I explored lots of bikes, parts, and accessories before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the evenings festivities -- Cylcocross!!!!

Cross Vegas has a sweet atmosphere -- at night, under the lights, tons of spectators and lots of 'cross stars lining up on the course. It promised to be a good race.... oh... until about 1/2 way through the first lap when I realized that racing on "sticky" grass in the middle of a desert is not the brightest idea... it was a lung burner for sure! Turned out to be a tough race, but still a ton of fun. Despite being so far away from home, I had awesome cheering sections from the Pony Shop guys, the crew from Bike Station Aptos, the Ellsworth folks, and lots of Chicagoland racers. It was fun to hear so many cheers throughout the course! Thanks :)

The next day Aspen and I were able to tour around Interbike a little bit more (and Aspen won himself $25 at the blackjack tables!) before I headed back to the midwest for the Planet Bike Cup...

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Cross Is Here

The first race of the cyclocross season -- I've been counting down the days since Dec. 14th of last year!

However, this year felt a little bit strange. Had I been in Chicago, I would have been racing a minute from my old apartment. I would have been racing in Jackson park... where I've practiced 'cross from the time I got my first 'cross bike until about 2 weeks ago. I would have been excited about the new lines that were about to be grooved into the park for me to practice on the rest of the season (don't worry -- they eventually go away). And most importantly, I would have seen my "cross family" -- all the familiar friends and faces who I've shared the joy of cyclocross with for the past three years!

This year I felt like a newbie all over again -- showing up at a new venue in a new town with new people... but there was still the familiar excitement of cyclocross in the air. The course was a bit different than the flat grassy terrain I'm used to in the midwest. There was a small patch of grass, lots of dirt, a bit of sand, quite a long hill (i liked the hill), and of course a few barriers in the mix. And CA has some pretty good cross fans too! There were lots of cheerers out on the course -- and I even had a good cheering section with Aspen in the pits and an excellent cheering squad from Bike Station Aptos (the shop that helped me get my bike together just in time for the race - THANKS!)

Started off the season with a good result (got a W), met some local teamies (yay), had a lot of fun, and won some strawberries (Mmmm!)... but I was missing home a little.