'Cross begins -- Ommegang Brewery

I lead the stragglers in the elite race
John and I are 1-1 after today's racing.
Look for him to try and one-up me next week.

I drove out to Brewery Ommegang today, for the first races of my 'cross season. I just recently finished getting my refurbished 'cross bike ready to roll, and had even ridden it once (which is better than I managed before my first race on the bike last year), so I felt like I was going to be ready to shred.

Plus, the race was at a brewery, so even if the shredding didn't go to plan (as it almost certainly wouldn't), magic potions to soothe the pain would be easy to come by.

So, I drove out to Cooperstown with Jamie, intending to race the 3/4, and maybe the 1/2/3, depending on how the first race went. (I'm still a cat 3 in 'cross, which seems like the right level for me.) Jamie, somehow still a 4, was targeting the 3/4, with possible plans to race the single-speed event on a rigid mountain bike. Despite a forecast of sunny skies and warm air, it was rainy and grey when we arrived at the brewery.

Aftermath of the 3/4 race
My Dad is very concerned about this
I think it's just a scratch

When we arrived, Maddie was well on her way to winning the women's cat 4 event. A quick survey of the course showed that it was, in my estimation, one of the less-technical courses I've seen. There was a slippery and steep hill, which might have been a run-up, but was eminently rideable, even as it got chewed up through the day. Other than that, the only technical elements were some tight turns on slippery surfaces (including a few in the beer tent), and the barriers.

Jamie and I lined up early with John Onderdonk and Scott Paine, and went from the gun. This was a bit of a departure for me, as I usually like to start from the back in 'cross races, lest I get in the way of anyone faster -- plus, it's a good excuse when you, invariably don't do well. Even if it was a departure, I think it was a good decision. I was in the top 3 when we hit the first turns (Jamie got the hole shot and was already lapping the slower-starting riders by this point). I slipped back a couple places, but was riding comfortably in the top 5 for the first lap, and getting psyched with how I was going.

The nearly-completed 'cross set up
It technically has two front rings
but no derailure or shifter

Then John crashed, taking me out. Some co-promoter he is. Anyway, it's 'cross and crashes happen. We all got up and kept riding, but had lost some spots as we picked our selves up. I was working on getting positions for a while, and eventually, I got back into a rhythm and caught up to and passed two racers who had previously passed me, right as we rounded a barn, heading toward the barriers and beer tent.

Perhaps a little over-enthused from passing someone, I decided it was time to really punch it, and try to catch Scotty P., who I could see just one turn ahead of me. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong moment for the punching, and lost my front wheel in the first turn in the beer tent, sending me painfully to the ground, reopening a bunch of wounds from last month's crash.

The second crash completely deflated me, and I would say that I limped the remainder of the race, loosing any ground I might have made up. So it goes.

Jamie won, never loosing his lead or even really being challenged by another racer, despite drooping his chain at one point. I hope he gets his upgrade soon, because I think it'll be interesting to see the looks on the faces of the elite field when they get the business from a mountain biker.

Ksyriums make mean-looking 'cross wheels
The stem also lost a centimeter
Overall, I think it's a better-riding bike now

Not content to suffer through one race, I paid another $10 to enter the elite race. This one went similarly, although, this time (thanks to Jamie's suggestion), I took the harder turns in my drops, finding much better traction with the bike better-weighted. Of course, that the ground was drying out helped too. The elite race was fairly uneventful for me. I wound up getting lapped by the top five or six toward the end of the race, but I beat John, getting my revenge! I would have to say, though, that the highlight was taking a beer feed at some point in the middle of the race.

Let me tell you: drinking from a plastic cup while riding a 'cross bike through a mud puddle is not easy, but hearing cheers when you do it makes the challenge well worthwhile. Unrelated, but I would also note that I like 'cross courses without run-ups! Carrying bikes is easily my least-favorite part of the sport.

Between races, Jamie and I put out a lot of fliers for the Saratoga Spa 'Cross, and I'm really hoping that registrations start coming in this week. The responses to the flier that I heard were positive, which I'm taking to mean that there is growing interest and enthusiasm for our race.

Maddie took a bunch of photos, so look for more of those soon. Also, Jamie left before the elite race, so I drove home with Maddie -- which I can only imagine was a trying experience for her, as I was rather drunk on Ommegang's finest by the time we left. It's 'cross, that's what you're supposed to do, right?