I have finished my first official season of cyclocross racing in Texas.  Full disclaimer here before I continue, I am using the word “full” very loosely, because I only participated in races close to the Austin area.  Along with local races, I have attended a number of Dirt Derby’s, and will continue to attend through the end of the series in February.  None of the races I participated in were sloppy, so I didn’t learn anything about MUD (maybe next season) but there were still lessons to be learned throughout the season.

1. Know Your Bike - Knowing your bike is critical when racing cyclocross because you are constantly faced with the prospect of making an in-race adjustment or spending lots of time running.  Assuming you make it through the race without a problem you are still beating the crap out of your bike for 45 minutes on a Saturday, and you have to turn around and have your bike ready for racing the next day, very few bike shops do that kind of turnaround.  In two different races this year, I had to race the second half of the race without front brakes, because significant brake rub was further slowing down my already slow laps.  Performing maintenance on the fly could be the difference between finishing in the money and not, or in my case, finishing near the back or not finishing at all.  The HULK may not be a thing of beauty but I know how to keep her up and running.
2. Come Early/Stay Late/Heckle throughout – Cross is community and if you want to enjoy the experience you have to come for the early races and stay through the end.  In order to properly warm-up arriving early is also key….this is especially the case the colder the weather turned.  The race I showed up and just raced without a proper warm-up was the race I was completely blown with over half the race still remaining.  Staying late allows you to participate in my second favorite element of cyclocross – HECKLING.  You may be a crap racer, but you can still give some of the best racers stick, for being slow, having an ugly bike, or just being rude for not taking the dollar or beer you are offering them.
3. Learn to ride the sand - Unless you want to be heckled mercilessly (just ask Daniel Curtin).  Sand is so much a part of cyclocross, and although we may not have it as readily available as they do in Belgium, if you can venture in and make it through…you too may win GLORY IN THE SAND (is it me or does that sound slightly dirty?)
4. Celebrate the small victories within the race -  Cyclocross is kind of like golf, (probably the first time you have heard that comparison) being awful at golf has not prevented millions of people from enjoying it each week, cyclocross has similar positive rewards. It can take you 12 shots to complete a hole, but all you can think about is the monster drive you hit off the tee box, and cyclocross is the same way, there is ample opportunity to find the small victories in each lap .  You may be fighting off the turtles at the back, but all you can think about is riding the next run up or making it through the next sand pit (see above).

 

5. Practice dismounts and carrying your bike -  I am serious about this….it isn’t hard to carry your bike over a 12 inch barrier….but carrying it over at race speed is something completely different. >My knees are living proof, after a season of banging my pedals and other bikes into them, they are beginning to look like I got into a knife fight with a midget (I don’t normally throw out insulting references about Little People, but figuring I haven’t seen one midget on a cyclocross bike, I am assuming this should be safe).
6. Smooth is fast and fast is smooth - at the start of the season a friend conveyed this little blurb of wisdom and as the season has wore on, I have found it to be true.  Finding the right line and keeping things flowing made for a much better race experience at the end of the day.