It Takes A Village and Other Cyclocross Race Reports

I realize I have a lot to make up for in terms of race reports, so here are some highlights from my past few weeks of races.

3SPORTS Chimborazo Cross Race
October 29, 2006

This was the course that I found the toughest last year. This year, despite my lower than desired cadence around the course, I didn’t find it nearly as grueling as I expected. I had a better warm-up and pre-ride than I did last year, which probably helped. However, I still finished last, despite a very small Women’s A field. Even though I was able to tackle the course with more confidence, I still hadn’t “found my legs.”

Finish: 4th

Tacchino Ciclicross
November 4, 2006

A double-header weekend began with a “local” race in Leesburg hosted by Squadra Coppi, which still didn’t prevent me from getting lost. However I arrived in plenty of time to warm up and pre-ride. Quite a tricky course, if I do say so myself. Lots of long, grassy inclines that make the legs work hard—if not slowly. On my pre-ride, on a grassy, downhill section with no known obstacles in sight, there was an ambulance taking away a rider from the previous race’s crash. A broken collarbone, no doubt.

With ten riders on the start line, I fell into last place pretty quickly, but held on the wheel of a woman in front of me for a while. The first hill/run up was tricky and a pile up was eminent on the first lap, but never again, considering the distance that soon spread throughout the field. It was a virtual time trial, with no way to know for sure who was leading or following (though, I knew). Teammate Gretchen Sweeney and her boyfriend Mark came to cheer me on and their cheers carried me through the last few laps. There were some bumpy turns and off-camber sections that made me grow weary. But I finished.

Finish: 10th (6 points)

Race Pace Cross
November 5, 2006

The last race of the MABRA series almost became my last race of the season. Again, a good warm-up and pre-ride of the course was bestowed upon me. There was a brief rush of adrenalin when I realized I had pinned my number on the wrong side and had to ask the guy parked next to me to quickly pin it to the other side. I didn’t care if he pinned it to my undershirt or sports bra, as I was approaching the start line in a matter of minutes. This would later prove problematic.

On the pre-ride, there was a turn that eluded. Though I get upright, I nearly had my tire slip out from under me. A fun, grassy course that I enjoyed last year, I looked forward to another fun race. Upon starting, as the group rounded the first corner, Beth Mason and the junior boy ran into the tape and got tangled. I was able to pull ahead and briefly reveled in my opportunity to get ahead. Before I knew it, I was down on the ground. My ride side smacked hard into the pavement. I had a mouth full of grass and I held my jaw in my hand. I got up and back on the bike, the only logical thing to do. However, my front brake, unbeknownst to me at the time, had become severely bent and didn’t effectively work. I pedaled my way around the next corner and slid off my bike again. I pulled myself of the course in time before the master’s men came through. I still held my jaw because I was convinced I smacked into the ground. I expected to spit out some teeth. However all was fine, except as I began to notice, my right arm was feeling very sore. I took myself out of the race and walked to the official’s tent to tell them I dropped out. I told them I crashed and about my shoulder. I ask them to inspect my helmet, but they noticed nothing. As I sat down and took inventory of my bike and body, it became clear that my shoulder was injured. They offered to call an ambulance, but I insisted I’d be fine. It would probably just be sore for a day or two and work itself out. I could no longer lift my arm up and down or from the side. Chip came over to check on me and helped me put my bike back on my car. I told him and others I could manage my way home, but requested ice.

As I attempted to change out of my skin suit with only my left hand, I then encountered the fact that I was pinned to my shirt and had to one-handedly contort myself to unpin myself. Finally, I was changed and put myself back into my car, the bag of ice situated between my right thigh, which had grown a monstrous bruise from the impact, and my arm. I drove home with my left hand.

A friend picked me later that night, as we had dinner plans. The arm was still sore. I gobbled up some Motrin and went hunting for a sling in CVS but to no avail. After dinner, the arm was stiffening up something awful. Chip had called Nate to tell him about my crash. Nate called me and I told him about my arm. After hearing my symptoms, he thought that I had broken or fractured my collarbone. A left-handed search of WebMD corroborated his diagnosis. I called Nate back an hour later or so and whined to him that I think it was indeed broken. He offered to take me to the ER, where we waited and waited until I got x-rayed and diagnosed with a separated shoulder—a minor tear. A sling was granted to me, along with a prescription for Vicodin. Four hours later we were home and I was in pain. I was to keep my arm in the sling for two days (an instruction Nate insists that I ignored) and I could be back on the bike in two weeks. This was very encouraging as the MABRA Championships were exactly two weeks away!
Finish: DNF

Epilogue: At the end of the six-race MABRA series, in which I competed in all six races, I was back in 8th place. Though I finished last in all races, the competition was much harder than last year, so I am proud that out of 30 plus Women A racers, I got myself into the top ten. Just goes to show what a little dedication and consistency can do!


Pennsylania State Cyclocross Championships
November 25, 2006

Dozens of people showed to race at the PA State Champs. Granted it was two days after Thanksgiving, but it was a very weak showing and even more lacsidazical support from the officials.

This was my first race since crashing and I was a tad bit tentative about my ability. The course was not my favorite and included lots of switchbacks that made me even more paranoid. I found the course confusing and on my pre-ride, realized that I had ridden sections of the course in the wrong direction. They also didn’t use red tape on the right and yellow on the left. It was either all yellow or yellow and white. It made no sense and at times I was disoriented.

And the course was hard. A maze of switchbacks on a slick, grassy downhill, made me more of a sight-seer than a racer. I was just barely holding off, praying not to crash. I finished last—surprise, surprise! In the end, I’m glad I did it and finished, because it gave me confidence that my arm/shoulder was ready to take on the MABRA Championships the next day!

Finish: 6th

MABRA Championships
November 26, 2006

After a very relaxing evening in Gettysburg, which included a trip to the Harley Davidson Dealer, the outlets, TGIF’s and finally a good night’s rest at the Country Suites, the fifteen-minute drive to Taneytown was the start of a very good day of racing.

Though it wasn’t raining, the ground was wet, which made for very muddy conditions. My warm-up and pre-ride were the best I’ve had all season. I focused on keeping my tempo up and riding at a higher cadence. I was a little slow off the line and nearly got caught up in Jim’s crash through the mud-ravine, but made my way through without much difficulty. The off camber section made me a bit nervous, but I managed it well each time around.

There were three different women’s categories racing: Women’s A, Masters 35 +, and master’s 45+. There were 4 women A racers and though I know she wasn’t racing me, I stayed ahead of the 35+ rider the whole time. Having her behind me made me work harder and kept me focused on not finishing last, at least overall.
It was a great race and a great way to end a series, despite my injury a few weeks earlier. I looked forward to the next few races before Nationals!

Capital Cross Classic
December 3, 2006

It take a village to let Marisa race.

Getting lost on my way to help set up the night before provided me the impetus for printing out detailed directions from Madeira, where I was on duty the night before to Lake Fairfax. Stopped to get bagels and coffee for everyone, only to realize that someone already brought them. My only real task thwarted. Oh well—more the merrier.

Disgruntled, but slowly getting over it, I headed to my car to prepare for my 10am race. I set up my bike on the trainer and prepared to warm up when I realized I had forgotten my shoes. Packing two days in advance proved ineffective and I knew that my shoes were in the laundry room drying out from last week’s mudfest. Irked and with not enough time to drive home and back, I went on a quest for shoes. Laurie from the BikeLane lent me hers and was a godsend. However, she had SPD cleats and my bike had eggbeaters. No worries, by luck, I had SPD pedals in my car. They belonged on my mtn bike, but I had them because I had been too lazy to take them out. Yay for laziness! I lacked the proper-size hex key to get my pedals off. A pedal wrench borrowed from Nancy proved ineffective, but Peter Nichols lent me his handy-dandy tool carrying case with which I was able to change my pedals.

Yay! I warmed up, pre-rode the course—that downhill section made my nervous. I let a little air out of my back tire, as it seemed a bit too hard. I was ready to race. Nervous, of course, but confident nevertheless. I started off rather well, I thought, riding strong and staying, I think towards the back of the group, but not last. Over barriers and up the run up. I even rode the downhill section impressively well, remembering to unclip my left foot and stabilizing myself and and around. I was also having a lot of fun. I made it up the dreaded grassy hill—this was proving far less difficult that I had imagined. Through the start/finish and around again for the second lap, that’s when I heard it. I always think I have a flat tire when I race, and I am always reassured that it’s just my imagination, so I expected to see that it wasn’t. But much to my surprise, it was. Deflated and unridable and no tires in the pit, I dropped out. This day was proving itself a challenge, but I am chalking it up to the moon being in Mercury, according to my mom, who says that it will be in retrograde come Tuesday and all will be back to normal. Let’s hope so.

Finish: DNF

On to Nationals!