Going, Going... Pop, Hiss... Done.

Another weekend, another cyclocross race! Saturday's race brought me up to Bellingham, Washington to participate in Thriller Cross. For the race, anyone donning either Christmas or Zombie-esque attire was given a one minute head start before the main pack of racers was released. Needless to say, I rarely need a reason to dress up.

 

Prior to the weekend, Cascade CycloCross had provided a brief preview into what the course would be like.

"We have compact grass. We have gravel trail. We have pavement. Those who have raced here in the past will testify that there can be some very boggy sections in the lowest terrain. That's okay - there are also hot showers and locker rooms. Bring a big towel and hope for mud!"

Very boggy sections in the lowest terrain was the tip of the ice berg for Saturday's race. It was the muddiest, stickiest, most wonderful course I've ridden thus far. Imagine pedaling through peanut butter. Now imagine doing that for an hour uphill, downhill, and anywhere in between.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to finish this race. At the end of my second lap I flatted and was forced to throw my bike over my shoulder and run the rest of the way into the finish line. I made an attempt to fix my dilemma in the pits but found not one, not two, but three holes! Impressive!

I hated pulling out but took it in stride. I'd had a great first lap and had ridden my hardest while smiling though a heavy layer of face paint.

The highlight of Thriller Cross was a section of snow they'd trucked in. With a full head of steam you would barrel into a couple of feet of snow hoping to have enough momentum to carry you through to the other side. I hadn't yet touched snow yet and couldn't think of a better way to become re-acquainted.

There's only one more cyclocross race left this season. On January 12th, I hope to be back in Bellingham, gritting it through the cold, and having a blast doing Chiller Cross.

Riley

Mud Boggin'

Last Sunday Cait and I found ourselves in Monroe, WA for the season finale of the Seattle Cyclocross Series. The event was held at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds alongside a youth motor cross competition in an adjacent building. With exhaust fumes in the air and my mouth mimicking machined noises, we had a fantastic day of riding.

Each cyclocross course is unique in its own way. Some have fly overs, others have barriers to jump over. This course had sand, a steep downhill into a 90° turn, a short but steep 75° uphill, and a wonderfully muddy section. In cyclocross-speak, sections of the course were "peanut-buttery" because of their muddy/sticky composition. We embraced the obstacles and both gave it our all.


 Cait giving it some gusto through the mud!


Cait on the move beginning another lap of mud boggin' glory.

 
This was my first Seattle CycloCross series race and I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was a little excited to find that I would be number 307 (the state of Wyoming's area code). 307 represent!

We both finished muddy, wet, smiling, and filled with excitement for the next opportunity to race.

Riley

Take Two

This weekend brought upon round two of my cyclocross career. After class on Friday I did a mad dash to gather up all of the essentials, raced down to the ferry, and made my way up to Burlington, WA to spend the night with Cait's cousin and his family.

On Saturday morning, with looming 100% rain forecasts, we raced! Cascade Cyclocross put on an amazing race, the Thanks Given'er, on the Lutherwood Bible Camp grounds on the shore of Lake Samish.

This race required a bit more technical finesse but that was what made it so fabulous.

 
 Cait's cousin, Ian, on the "Fly Over".

 
Ian's wife, Leah (right foreground), on the move.

Ian and Leah were fortunate enough to beat the weather and both had fantastic races. As for me, the rain began just as we lined up and increasingly fell leaving the trails a little... muddy.



It was amazing! During lap one I went over the handlebars. One lap later, my tires slid out and I ended up in the bushes. I managed to stay on my bike for the remaining four laps, other than portions that required a run. I may actually still have dirt in my eyes at the moment and it was totally worth it.

Here's to race number three which goes down one week from today. Next Sunday is the Seattle CycloCross series finale, held in Monroe, WA. Even more exciting? It'll be Caitlin's first cyclocross race!

Stay tuned!

Riley