My Empire of Dirt

You could have it all, my empire of dirt... I will let you down, I will make you hurt.

The Short:  I prefer the Johnny Cash cover of "Hurt," mostly because he sounds about like I felt after a lap or two of JourneyCross, in Cordova, TN, for a 4th in CX 4.  Like he really did rule an empire of dirt, like he really was just tired of the pain.

The Long:  we knew it would be rain or shine...there was an extra reminding us that "shine" was only one of the two options.  But this was the last scheduled 'cross race (at least locally) and so Davis and I were off to race it, hell or high water.  Both of which we got.  We arrived early, and it was indeed a bit chilly and rainy.  A quick preride confirmed too that the course, while beautifully designed and thoroughly prepared by Memphis's finest local cross addicts, would be challenging--at best. 

The Course

Starting with a straight shot down the parking lot, the track took to the grass, winding up into the first barriers (non-bunnyhoppable, the race organizers helpfully pointed out); it bounced up and down before turning to a long straight service drive, dipped left into a boggy section of long grass.  It then went into the woods for a couple hundred yards of singletrack, came out, bounced up and over a hairpin, through a ditch, and then through another long-grass section.  It then passed through a final set of hairpins and one more barrier before turning up along the church and into the lot for the finish.  The whole lap on easy warmup took 6 or 7 minutes, which might have been my fastest time of the day, since it soon got pretty soft and torn up (just like my legs).

Stagin' in the Rain... (pics pilfered from teh interwebz)

Once the B race got started a couple fast juniors took off; as per my habit, I stayed up near the front, letting someone else set the pace and pick the lines, but holding my own.  Until the ditch on the backside, when I dropped my front wheel into the muck and boffed the dismount, ending up sitting on the ground watching places 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 move right on past me.  A little discouraged, I took my time getting up, slogged through another lap, and seriously considered stepping off the bike when I dropped my front wheel into the ditch on lap 2, executing a perfect faceplant endo.  Luckily, the wrist took it well, but that had about taken the steam out of my race. 

On the switchbacks, I could see some of the leaders--they weren't that far ahead--and I could see Davis floating along on 30+ pounds of aluminum and fat tires, sucking the race leaders' wheels.  I suffered, and not athletically, feeling the cold, the rain, the mud, the lack of handling skills.  I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real.  I ran more than some racers, but it cost me a lot to get off the bike--I might have been better off slipping, tipping, and dabbing through some of those sections.  On the next-to-last lap, I discovered the right side of the trail and a very wide left turn into the back switchbacks let me carry much more speed and stay on the bike a lot longer through that section.  Surprising myself, I began to pass a few riders (sometimes running while they pedaled) and close down some of the big gaps that had opened up.  Some of the other 4s, while usually very strong, didn't look like they were enjoying the mud any more than I was.  Some dude was having a little fun with us, holding out a handful of small bills one lap, but I was too deep in the pain cave to realize what it was until too late.  In the end, I stayed on the gas for the last lap and tried to pull it in strong.  40 minutes never felt so long...nevermind--it was only 37.  Crap.

"Racing"

Davis, however, had done much better, using the nasty conditions to his advantage and riding to a win in CX4 (3rd in the B race, right behind some excellent juniors).  He actually seemed to enjoy the whole thing, which kind of mystified me.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.

Afterwards, we wandered around until we found an unsupervised hose and "cleaned" our bikes and selves off a little before collecting Davis's trophy, jumping in the car, and grabbing some evil corporate delicious strbx for the way home. 

The lessons learned?  All that fancy equipment don't matter if you can't stay on it.  I'm glad I have a 'cross bike, and about as glad that it's not my only bike.  I'm still not sure I've ever actually warmed up for a CX race.  A lot of doing well in those conditions is mental:  accepting or even believing that you enjoy mud-sleet.  I don't know how I would have to train in order to surge and recover properly in a race that short.  And finally, I don't care--my first spring training plan is about to start.  This was good for a little fitness, but...bring on road season!