Cycling is a funny sport. It seems that everything has to be just right for success to come. For some this comes as a bay window for others it can be a small sliver of glass that opens for that brief moment, but when it does it makes all the work worth it. This proves to be even truer in Cyclocross. The season is short, the conditions are ever changing, and the elements can play such a large role in success and failure.
With the changes on the domestic calendar pushing the season out an additional 4-6 weeks, the season was slow to progress. After a long road and mountain season some well needed rest came in the month of July before starting back up for cross season. The buildup has been slow and started early with the madness that is Cross Vegas with the kick off to the USGP season to follow a short 10 days later.
As planned, the season got off to a slow start but headed in the right direction. Jonathan, from the Athletic Improvement Center, and I spent several hours looking at the season as a big picture and put together a plan for the year.
Next Stop Fort Collins…
After building through Cross Vegas and the USGP in Madison it was time to come home. With a change in the calendar, the New Belgium Cup came early in October and with a change on the schedule the prospect of good weather was high. This race has become one that I look forward to during the season. Getting to sleep in my own bed, ride to race, and race in front of the best crowds and cycling community all year, it doesn’t get any better. Well the hope for good weather was shattered when we woke to ~40 degree temperatures and rain. The course slowly deteriorated and road more like an ice rink than a cyclocross course by the time the elite men started. A promising start position was met with bad luck on the start line when another rider went down next to me and hooked my bars and took me for a ride. The day ended early and reset button was hit.
The second day brought sunny skies warm temperatures and a course that raced like a dirt crit. The mud from the previous day had setup hard enough that tires were leaving skids marks on the ground as if we were on pavement. I was greeted with another solid start that was capped off with a decent finish, and only one small hiccup along the way. The small hiccup has turned into a season changer. With a little over a lap to go my front tire washed out and down I went in a rough corner. The crash seemed innocent enough and away we went. The next morning I awoke to a thumb the size of a gold ball and ligament damage.
Fast forward…
Despite the discomfort and the inability to really hold onto the bars this may have been one of the best things to happen all season. After assessing the damage plans were changed and a huge focus was put on training and training well as opposed to using races to achieve fitness. With a four week block leading into the third USGP and a four week block after that, the fitness has come a long way. With a lot of time in the gym and a lot of time spent on the computrainer monitoring progress and growth the end of the year looks promising. With the first win of the season came a nice confidence boost to build on the work that had been done which has opened the door to the final stretch of the season. With a month to go the final touches are being put on the training with the hope of some big results at cross nationals and masters worlds. Follow along with the Athletic Improvement Center as the season builds to the finale…