fall is startingI am starting to think about cyclocross
yes... just starting to think about cyclocross
sure there have been all sorts of people who have been thinking about cyclocross for the last month or so
people have purchased running shoes and taken up running
there have been gatherings with cyclocross courses... courses with barriers... courses with run ups
simulating races
simulating race situations
there may have been pre-mature wearing of arm warmers or knickers
there has been a shift in focus to the cyclocross bike over other bikes in the quiver
people are going to hit the cross season at their peak
wheels will be spinning and hearts will be pumping
I am not one of these people
I am not shooting for top ten
I am not thinking about long cyclocross road trips
neither gloucester or kansas city are on my radar
I am not thinking about these events... as much fun as either of these events may be... neither are on my radar
no... I am thinking of battling things out in the back of the pack at a few local races within an hour or so of DC
I am still recovering from the Shenandoah Mountain 100
my focus has not really shifted from the mountain bike to the cyclocross bike
heck... my mind is still stuck trying to decide between my single speed or my geared mountain bike
I will be working my hardest not to get lapped
I will be working my hardest
I rode my freshly assembled jamis nova cyclocross bike
max did a sweet job
sure there was a front flat on sunday morning
but that did not stop me from selecting this bike for sunday's ride as well as my ride into and after work today
after work today I got on the nova and zipped around the city
warmed up cutting through georgetown across key bridge onto the mt vernon trail
zipped down the bike path than back into dc on the 14th street bridge
paused for a photograph with David Rozelle, author of Back in Action
then back on the bike
off the bike path onto a few blocks of traffic
then on the sections of city block park land that fills the space between the capital building and the washington monument
flanked by the smithsonian museums
I rode the gravel foot paths along with the walking tourists and the post work joggers and runners
after some time on gravel I got under the trees on the thin path beaten the grass by walkers and joggers
a few laps on one section of grass
a few laps on the next section
working my way up
working the same routine of one lap slow and two laps faster
trying to work it fast on the straights
trying to hold some speed on the unfamiliar turn
trying to learn how much corner to trust
the seat was too low
and well
I have no concept of tire pressure
but other than that
the bike felt good... real good
the super wide salsa bell lap bars felt right
the gearing may be stiff on the courses with gradual climbs
but I will know more as I play around with my bike more
starting to get a taste for cross
guess it is time to look at the cyclocross calendar
there are a few races I know I want to put on my calendar
but... maybe I can squeeze in a few more
maybe there is something in Pittsburgh over Thanksgiving?
but first... Charm City is this weekend
Mid Atlantic Cyclocross Info
with the Mid Atlantic Cyclocross Calendar
www.midatlanticcross.info
want to proof this
but need to look at some images
that photo is from the Reston Cross Classic last year
one of the races I have on my mental calendar
also thinking Charm City, Lily Pons, and Leesburg
but when is Chimboraza