Pedaling

Pedaling is a very useful skill in bike racing, but unfortunately not my strong suit. I prefer turns, barriers, chicane turns, drop-offs, off-camber turns, creek crossings, hairpin turns, and any other kind of feature in a cyclocross race during which pedaling is not required - or at least optional. The more of these elements you string together, the more fun I have, and the better I tend to do. Saturday's Norge Ski Jump CX race had a nearly endless string of technical off-camber turns, as well as plenty of other tricky features, occasionally separated by short, hard, intense pedaling sections. I loved every moment of it and was smiling through most of the race. It was a fantastic CX race venue and I'll definitely be back next year.

Someone needs a haircut. Or perhaps just a hat. Photo: Amy Dykema

Saturday's preliminary course map - so many squiggly lines they bleed into one blue mass in places.

Sunday's preliminary course map - I'm not sure all squiggles shown made it in to the final course design.

Sunday's race held at the YMCA camp Duncan was an altogether different kind of race - it required lots and lots (and lots) of pedaling, punctuated by a couple of fun and highly technical sections. It was a great setting for a CX race, but it rewarded riders who are good at pedaling, and that's just not me. For me, it was an absolute suffer-fest. I'm NOT complaining - some courses suit me better, some worse. That's racing. Without a doubt, I'll be back next year, and perhaps I'll have a little more time between now and then to practice that pedaling stuff.