I bought a secondhand cyclo-cross bike at the Trexlertown bike swap in 2002 and raced it the very next weekend. I’d raced road and mountain bikes the previous two years while I was in college and was pretty well immersed in a life of full time bike riding as a messenger running delivery in downtown Boston and getting out on the root infested and rocky New England trails whenever I could. From the very first twisting and and turning lap at the Canton Cup-going elbow to elbow with my fellow racers in the dirt I knew that I’d found something special that I would keep doing as long as possible. From the thrill of the race itself to the pastoral venues and the comradely support I got from the friends that I would travel with to entire days spent on my bike before during and after my race goofing off, spectating and taking it all in, I was hooked.
I’ve taken race preparation pretty casually and have chosen not to make training as the end to the means of any riding that I do. Sometimes I am riding more, sometimes less, sometimes I have fitness to spare, sometimes I find myself struggling for air. As such I’ve stayed in the “B” field and seen a lot of folks that came into the sport for the first time floundering, work hard, pick up skills, ride at the same level as me for a while, and eventually put bike lengths on me at the finish before moving on to the big show in the “a” race. I’m alright with it, I get out of the sport what I put into it and have fun doing it. Watching some of the early morning races at the beginning of the 2010 season I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d even be able to win the Cat 4 race now that the races are sanctioned differently and someone who thinks they are fast enough can’t just enter the equivalent of the Cat 3 race the way I did in my very 1st.
I got my answer in the 1-2-3 race at the race the Minuteman Road Club put on in Lancaster, MA this Sunday. I finished 25th behind three of the guys that were terrorizing the 4 field just a couple of weeks ago. The one that I was trying the hardest to keep in my sights was riding a frame that I’d built him 2 years ago with the hopes that he’d get interested in heading out to the races with me the next fall. After catching the bug with a handful of races last year my buddy and BBW factory team rider Benny has taken it to a level of commitment that surpasses my own by entering every race he can and striving to get faster all the time. I am psyched for him and to have another rider out there representing Budd Bike Works better than I can myself this year as work and life don’t always allow for racing to take priority, still I’ll be pretty miffed if I can’t manage to kick his ass next time.
Definitely a great race on a fun course, thanks go out to the Minuteman Road Club for the hard work.
