Hidden Valley Cyclocross.

Ok, I threw my hat in the ring with the C+35 (beginner riders who are old) group this weekend.  As I said last week, I haven't ever "raced" a bicycle, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect.

Here was the course they laid out for us.

I think the most nerve wracking part for me was the start (keep reading for the other wracking part).  It was probably a hundred yard stretch of pavement before the course dived around a bend into the first of many sandy corners.  I definitely didn't want to be in the pack and fall over in the first turn (taking out god knows how many other riders)....so I stayed to the back of the pack.

The men's B (intermediate) and women's A (expert) start.

There's definitely a bit of competition up front for the hole shot.

One of the super sandy and loose corners.  This one had a nice inside line option!

An overview of the course.

Ok...so the dismounts are the other part of the race that had me a little worried.  Sometimes you're dismounting to jump over barriers (usually a couple at a time) and sometimes its for stairs.  I tried the whole quick dismount on my practice ride....mind you, I'm not new at clipless pedals....heck, I've probably clipped in and out 100,000 times.  Yep, ride up, unclip one side and swing the leg over....now unclip the second foot at you begin to run and jump.....  It sounds so simple! 

On my first clip out and jump attempt I just didn't get the second clip out before my body tried to start running.  I almost crashed into the barrier and pulled the bike on top of myself!  Fortunately, the clip popped loose at the last second and it was just a minor tumble for me.  The blow to my pride might have been slightly larger.

One of many dismounts....shoulder that bike and climb those stairs!

And if you think the dismount gets easier as the course goes on, you're wrong.  The first few ride up and unclips you're in soft sand doing like 10 mph.  At this stairway you're dismounting at the bottom of a hill on a long straightaway....so you're doing like 25 mph.  More than a few people went down on this dismount location!

....and then dive down the hill and back into the sandbox!

Now...one last little note.  We've talked about the dismounts.  They require a certain grace and poise around the bike.  The remounts are more "dynamic"....basically no sissy, put your foot on the pedal type stuff.  Instead the "technique" is to jump, throw your leg over the seat while in mid-air and land on the seat both feet hitting the pedals at the same time, and then ride away like a mad man.

A small aside here...this is a real bike race so guys wear spandex (pretty much head to toe).  This getup does  a pretty good job of controlling male anatomy, even with all the running, jumping, riding, etc.  However, if you are going to run and jump on a relatively small seat 10+ times per lap the potential for a uncomfortable landing is pretty high.  And....I will attest to the fact that while this may not make you crash....you definitely will ride a little slower after one of those landings!

So, despite the learning curve on how to "ride" cyclocross, I had a blast and managed not to fall down during the four laps and 30 minutes of riding.  Heck, I even passed my new friend from Cycle Oregon who invited me out to the race! 

So if you want to give it a try, I'd definitely say come out and join.  The people are really friendly and family is encouraged to come out and cheer.  Heck, they even have a kids race!  So check the schedule in the previous post and make the drive up to Truckee on the 13th!