Blue Screen of Death

2010 SCPS #4 - O'Melveny Park - Grenada Hills, CA:

Finally a cool race. Despite a forecast for temperatures in the mid-80's, race day was pleasantly cool and foggy. It was nice to once again be wearing vests, jackets, and arm warmers on race day. I loved the venue: O'Melveny Park is tucked away in a small pocket valley in the Santa Susana Mountains near the south end of Newhall pass. The flyer described it as "intimate" and I think that was right on the mark. We were surrounded by steep slopes and one could see ~95% of the course from the start/finish area. The only drawback was that the limited acreage led to a rather short lap: the fastest men were clocking ~4:30 for a single circuit. The course itself was challenging but very fun. Lots of slow motion climbing on energy-sucking grass, lots of 180 turns, and a couple of barrier sets. Despite the standard recipe, the course subtly utilized the overall sloping topography resulting in a very nice flow.

Warm up: Check. Legs feel okay.
Line up: Check. Second row.
Starting whistle: Check. Here we go.

Each of the eight starting grid lanes were skinnier than my handlebars - and then the course narrowed by ~1/3 in  the first 5 meters. I thought I was going to be screwed for initial pack position but miraculously a hole opened in front of me when we hit the constriction. I jumped through and managed to get to the front in the first  ~75 m. First thought: Hell ya! Second thought: What am I doing out in the wind? I backed off and slid into second spot just long enough to recover before the first turn. I heard some yard sale action behind me as I went through the turn and was thankful for having made it through at the front. As I headed uphill, my race immediately started downhill. In the space of ~50 m, I was passed by 20 riders. My legs that felt okay during my warm up seem to have gone AWOL. The rest of my race was spent trying to pick off the riders in front of me. I caught a few, got passed back by a few, then caught a few more. I think some of the latter group were 35+ 1/2/3 riders because I ended up 19th (out of 34 starters). Not a great result but I have to admit that I had fun.

Big air over the extra-tall barriers. © Dorothy Wong (socalcross.org).

 Just a split second later from a different angle. © D. Lawson.

This photo makes me look much more graceful than I actually am.
© Mark Colton.. Originally posted here.

Most of the race was like this: riding at the limit but going nowhere. © Lee Willmore.

Despite going slow, I was pushing pretty hard. So while watching Dino race (and helping O & S get ready for the kids race) I was debating whether or not I should do the singlespeed A race. Being stubborn, I took the start along with seven other riders. It probably wasn't a good decision on my part. I was lapped three times by the fastest 1/2/3 men and at least once by every other singlespeeder. I had nothing...and it showed.

With - at best - lackluster results this season (as compared to last year) I've been in a bit of a cyclocross funk. This race pushed it over the edge. I'm still having fun but not meeting my own expectations has been making me grumpy. So, as of Sunday, my season has been rebooted. Saturday, for me, was the cyclocross equivalent of the Blue Screen of Death. The only fix is to restart the machine. Top three in the series? No. Top ten? Who cares. Just get out there, race, go as fast as I can and have fun.