Muddy 'cross, in the dark

I did a good job hurting myself tonight; and not just in the sense of putting in a good honest effort on the first night of Fifth Street 'Cross (although I did that), but also in the sense of riding hard on an unfamiliar bike, and now my hip and back hurt a lot.

Unfamiliar bike? My prep time before tonight's race consisted of taking the bike off a hook in the Bicycling workshop, adjusting the saddle height, and installing my pedals. Then I rode from the office to the Emmaus Recycling Center on Kline's Lane, stopping briefly at home on the way.

When I got to the race, I'd learned four things about the bike: The fork was stiff enough to resist chatter pretty well; the bottom bracket was pretty high; there was too much air in the tires; and the saddle was too far forward. Fortunately, I had a multitool along to adjust the saddle position, and you don't need a tool to let air out of the tires, FYI.

It was still light when I arrived at the recycling center, which marked, I think, the first time I'd ever been there in daylight. Night falls fast these days, however, so we all switched on our lights and the race started. I'd seeded myself near the back of the 25 riders who showed up, because it's more fun to pass slower riders than to be passed by faster riders, or to get in their way.

I did manage to pass some people, and I daresay, the second lap of the first three-lap race was some of the best 'cross I've ever raced. I even passed Matt, who possess impressive handling skills. Of course, we were solidly in the middle of the field, but it's still awesome to feel like you're racing. Heartbreakingly close to the end of the race, I had a pretty bad bobble, and both Matt and Taus passed me. I managed to get ahead of Taus by the finish, but Matt out-meh'd me to some unknown placing.

The second race started better. Since the first race was three laps, I felt safe in assuming the second race was only two laps. You know, because the second race is always shorter than the first. Except for tonight. So, I raced two really good laps of 'cross, passing a lot of people and making reasonable turns (for a roadie, in the mud, anyway). Then I got to the line thinking I'd ridden a great race, only to be told that there was one more lap. At that point, I became completely unglued, as if riding one more lap was the equivalent of being told to move a pallet of cinder blocks across town, by hand.

But really, I fell totally to pieces: I was taking all the wrong lines, loosing my front wheel, and then, insult of insults, I forgot to complete the last turn in the candlesticks, and crashed into a bush. Yup, gotta watch those bushes, they really jump out of you. Needless to say, Bowman passed me; Matt passed me; Taus passed me; even though he was presumably at home and not racing, Yozell passed me; and finally some toddler on a trike passed me. It was still fun.

At the end of the night's racing, I drew the follow conclusions: 1) As awesome as the X-Fire is, the Focus Mares CX2 is better suited to my preferences, with its lower bottom bracket. 2) Riding a new bike for the first time at a race is a recipe for extra pain in the joints, brakes that need to be toed in, and poorly adjusted shifting. 3) Cat 4 'cross skills + cat 2 fitness, divided by two = Cat 3, which, incidentally, is my 'cross category. 4) The effect of applying Rapha's Winter Embrocation is fairly pleasant, and it's not at all uncomfortable when you forget that you've just applied embro and then go to adjust your package. However, the effect on your legs (or, presumably, on your balls) is intensified when you slam into the ground. Also, I forgot to remove the embro before getting into the hot shower. Ouch.

All that being said, I'm looking forward to next week!