Two cyclocross races on two consecutive days....apparently that's called an Omnium. To be really honest you can call it anything from suffering to fun! I'm currently considering exactly where it falls. The courses were served up at Hidden Valley on day one, and up in Truckee at the bike park for day two. Both courses were fast with sections of technical riding, a lot of off bike running (both stairs and tight sections of the course where it was faster to run), and day two included sections on a pump track and a bmx course! Here's some pics.
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| A must have....mobile base camp! |
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| The pits at Hidden Valley.... |
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| Tight and technical turns. |
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| Is it faster to ride or run!!?? Depends on the rider and the terrain! |
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| I opted for the run as well. |
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| Nick on the stair run up. |
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| Men's A winner getting a huge bunny hop over the barrier! |
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| Truckee bike park start/finish line on day 2. |
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| Riding in the trees....a big climb, followed by soft gravel, and a fast downhill return! |
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| The women's A (and Omnium) podium. |
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| Men's B podium....you will notice I am conspicuously absent from this picture. |
While I may not have ended up on a podium, I did end up with some additional experience in cyclocross racing. I'm usually a pretty solid rider (meaning I don't crash or make others crash)....but in both races this weekend I ended up on the ground. Once it was washing out a sandy tight corner and once was a failed unclip into a barrier.
The barrier fall was kinda cool and shows the skills (and comradery) these guys really have. The guy behind me completely hurtled over me and in the same breath yelled out to check if I was ok. In both cases I was bruised but able to get right back into the race. I might have lost a place for each of those falls so next time my goal is for a clean ride.
So if you want to stand atop the glorious cyclocross podium, come out and join us for the next race!
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