For great cyclocross coverage, check out some interviews at Cyclingdirt. I’m getting stoked for the Gloucester Gran Prix this weekend, come check it out at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester!
I got the first weekend of ‘cross racing for 2009 down in the books. I was really happy with how Star Crossed went on Saturday. I finished 7th and was able to stay upright for most of the race. The course was really greasy; it was raining lightly and the ground has a thin layer of mud on top of it. That made it a lot of fun and really technical, but it minimized the amount of pedaling which was really good for me. I spent most of the race riding with Tim Johnson, just off the back of the lead group. We were so close to catching them for 2/3 of the race, finally they started to open up the gap. In the end I finished 7th, but TJ crashed hard on his right shoulder and may have separated it.
On Sunday, the Rad Racing GP didn’t go as well. I started OK, but I was really lacking in power of which that course demands a lot. After the first lap I was around 25th place, and my left foot had a really bad cramp in it. I could hardly push down on the left pedal, and when I went to dismount for the barriers, I instinctively limped off my left foot causing me to catch the barrier and sprawl out on the ground in a spectacular somersault. After that, I had to take my shoe off and stretch out my foot because it hurt so badly. I got back on my bike in dead last place and made a training day out of it. Looking on the bright side, I got a good workout with some skills practice thrown in.
Next up for me is the Interbike show in Las Vegas. I’ll be signing posters at the Jamis booth from 1-2 PM on Wednesday; then I’ll be racing at ‘Cross Vegas on Wednesday night. It’ll be fun to race in front of a huge crowd again, I hope I recover from this weekend and have a little power stored up to lay out on the grass there. That’s gotta be one of the most power-sapping courses on the circuit, but I’ll give it my best shot for sure.
