LUNA CHIX PRO TEAM

Cyclocross National Championships Bend, OR Dec 13, 2009

The National Championships have been a long time coming.  It’s something I’ve been focused on since I started training back in April.  To think about a race for that long is stressful and nerve racking to say the least.  But you can’t help it when it’s the biggest race of the season.

This year the event was held in Bend, Oregon, a hotbed of cycling in the state of Oregon.  The week leading up to the race was the coldest they’ve had in years.  I spent the entire week indoors riding the trainer.
The course was set around the Deschutes Brewery with a mix of rough trail, soft grass, steep climbs, a huge set of stairs, and some tricky off-camber sections.  When I pre-rode the course on Friday everything was completely frozen.  The only dry part of the course was the pavement through the start/finish.  Even though I hate riding on ice I knew it would favor my bike handling skills, if I could stay upright.  Haha!

By Saturday the weather changed and the sun came out, warming things up to a balmy 30 degrees.  I did a few more laps and was pleasantly surprised to find that everything had melted.  I was shocked because 24hrs earlier the course was under a few inches of frozen snow and ice.  Now it was wet, muddy, slushy, sloppy, and slick.  The conditions made the course a lot more fun and not nearly as stressful.  Made for an easier night of sleeping as well.

Overnight the temperatures dropped and the course froze once again.  I pre rode one lap at 10:30am and had a few close calls trying to stay upright on the icy turns.  Even though the sun was out the air temperature was still chilly and things weren’t warming up as fast as I had hoped.  Oh well. 

My biggest mistake of the day came at the end of my warm-up.  Not realizing there were 105 women at call up, I mistimed my warm-up and arrived at the start grid after my name had been announced.  The official started call-up 5 minutes earlier than normal.  It was dumb luck that I was only a few seconds late, otherwise I would have missed out being in the second row.  As it was, I didn’t get to line up behind Katie Compton.  Darn!

The start was blazing fast and I was only able to move up into 4th position by the time we hit the first grass section.  The first lap of any cross race is always total chaos.  Riders get ahead of you that can’t ride their bikes and slow things down.  Riders are trying to pass in places they shouldn’t, and girls are going down all over the place.  Meanwhile Katie Compton is riding away as I’m stuck behind slower riders.  Ugh!

I finally got around everyone and had a clear track ahead.  Whew!  The crowd was huge with lots of fans cheering my name.  I was maxed out but having fun.  Lots of linked recoveries and near misses.  The course was changing by the minute as things slowly warmed up.  I was passed by Amy Dombrowski after the first lap and stayed 20 feet behind her for another lap.  Then Meredith Miller caught and passed me as I slid out on one of the turns.  Damn!  I lost some momentum after my crash.  I rode in 4th for the rest of the race, having to hold off Laura Van Gilder, who was chronically only 5 seconds behind me.  Close enough to make things stressful. 

By the last lap I stretched my lead over Van Gilder and was able to relax coming into the finish.  My 4th place was good enough for the podium.  I wanted better but I was also very satisfied and happy with how things went.  It’s been a challenge trying to play catch-up to riders that have been competing all summer, and for the past four years for that matter. 

The podium ceremony was in the beer tent so the crowd was very vocal.  Plus it was warm with all those hot steamy bodies.  Afterwards I watched a great men’s race and caught up with friends.

It’s been a great season and a lot of fun.  I’m glad I came back to racing and I’m glad I was able to be successful.  My goals were to ride up front, be competitive, and not embarrass myself and I know I accomplished all of those.  Now it’s the long awaited off-season.  I will take some time off the bike and enjoy the holiday chaos.  Time to dust off the skis!

Happy trails
Alison