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When I started racing cyclocross at the beginning of this season, my goals were to have fun, not hurt myself, and push myself out of my comfort zone. I had no illusions of winning a race, or even getting onto the podium. I’m a slow cyclist, even when I’m trying to go fast and give it all I’ve got.
Four months later, I’m wrapping up my first season of racing with a 17th place finish in the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championship! Still got DFL (Dead F*cking Last) but I finished!! And that’s more than a bunch of people can say! Huzzah!
Photo by Evrgrn Photo
Before we celebrate too much (because let’s be honest, we’re going to), let me back up and explain how I ended up even racing at CX Nationals.
Shimano, one of my primary sponsors, was the Event Partner sponsor for CX Nats, providing neutral support to racers and exhibiting in the main part of the expo. As part of their agreement, Shimano built in a requirement for an All Bodies on Bikes activation.
Working with Shimano, USA Cycling, and Molly Cameron of RIDE Group, we planned a panel for me and Molly about diversity and inclusion in cycling, followed by an inclusive, community ride around the park venue.
On one of our first planning calls, I joked that I should “bring my single speed cross bike and take a lap on the course.” I forget who jumped on my wack-a-doodle idea, but after the call, I had an email confirming my registration for the Single Speed Women’s race. Well, shit, I guess we’re really doing this!
The fast folks at the start line, including Sarah Sturm & Sunny Gilbert, 1st and 2nd place winners. Photo by Evrgrn Photo.
Bike & Race Prep
If you’ve been watching my Instagram from this fall, you’ve seen that I’ve been riding my Surly Straggler converted to a single speed for all of my cyclocross races. I started the season racing with flat bars and 47mm tires - a super fun and rowdy setup. Midway through the season it was apparent that I needed more tire clearance so I swapped to some 40mm tires. Much better, lighter and faster. But turns out I still wasn’t done with modifications!
To comply with the USAC rules, I had to put drop bars and even skinner tires on. Thanks again to super-fast shipping from Competitive Cyclist and priority service from Julian at Peloton Bike Shop, I was able to get 35mm tires and drop bars on the Struggle Bus. Now we were ready for Chicago!
Race Weekend
I arrived in Chicago on Thursday evening and made it to Cantigny Park, the race venue on Friday morning for my first pre-ride. I was admittedly super nervous, expecting a challenging course since this was a National-level event. Turns out, racing cyclocross in the PNW all season was excellent preparation for this course, as it was fast and bumpy but nearly entirely rideable, even on my single speed!
At nearly 3km long, each lap had about 150 ft of elevation gain, which while nothing to sneeze at, was totally doable for me on my single speed. There was one section I couldn’t ride up - Mount Abus - and the sand pit I figured I’d evaluated on race day and get as far as I could on the bike, but otherwise during my pre-ride, I felt super confident about things.
And then everything changed….
Friday afternoon into Saturday brought an absolute onslaught of crappy weather to the Chicago area. In fact, this is the same storm that spawned multiple tornadoes across the midwest. High winds caused havoc in the expo, destroying a ton of team tents and causing lots of damage. Saturday’s races were pushed back a few hours to allow for cleanup, and we ended up cancelling the All Bodies on Bikes ride because of the gusting winds.
We were still able to have a short discussion about inclusion in cycling and the smaller audience allowed us to talk candidly in a relaxed group. Instead of stressing about leading a group ride, I was able to hang out, relax, and mentally prepare for my race.
The Actual Race
I was the very last to be called up, with zero USAC race points. This was great as I actually prefer to start in the back of the pack because I know I’m slow and don’t necessarily want to be in the way of fast folks racing for the hole shot. With my signature lipstick, crop top and bib shorts (https://www.avantlwith a base layer - don’t worry, I’m not an idiot in 30 degree temps), I lined up at the start feeling excited and confident.
Immediately after the start, a number of racers crashed out in front of me, but benefit to being slower - I could go around them. When they went down, I optimistically thought “hey, maybe I won’t be dead last!” My optimism was short lived as I was quickly caught in the sand pit and passed. No worries- I’m used to being alone on the race course way behind the rest of the pack.
As soon as we exited the sand pit, we were greeted with a rutted, muddy, sloppy course. The fast and fun course from my pre-ride just a day before was long gone, along with my ability to ride most of the course. Each pedal stroke felt harder than it had before and as I made it to the Shimano barriers, I realized my heart rate hadn’t dipped below 180 yet.
Because I’ve been wearing and training with the Wahoo Kickr heart rate monitor since last summer, I know that I can comfortably ride at 165-170 beats per minute for 30 minutes. I’ll be tired, but it’s do-able. My heart rate during CX Nats was upwards of 185 the whole time - I desperately needed to get it down.
As I mentioned earlier, my goals for this CX season were to have fun and not get hurt. I carried those goals into this final race with one additional goal - represent bigger bodies on a national stage.
I’m not going to lie - this was probably the hardest riding I’ve done all season. The adrenaline from the cheering crowds, hearing my name announced throughout the park as I tackled the course obstacles, and the excited of this race meant that I didn’t necessarily ‘race my race.’ I let the excitement get to me, took off way too fast at the start, and found myself gasping for breath as soon as I hit the mud.
It was evident from the start that I’d be lucky to get two full laps in - the leaders were doing 8-9 minute laps while I was midway through the first lap with nearly 20 minutes elapsed. Taking stock of my options, I decided to just have fun with it. I stopped and took nearly every handup that was offered to me, including more than one shot of Malort, a gummy bear filled jello shot, and multiple dollars! Heck, I made $9 in this race - I think that officially makes me a professional cyclist! :)
As I rounded the corner into the Belgian stairs, I took my first fall of the day. Thankfully it was into some some mud, so no worse for the wear except a few big bruises that showed up later.
At some point, the leaders Sarah Sturm and Sunny Gilbert, who would go on to win the race, passed me. Both of them, even though they were racing for the National Championship were kind and funny and encouraging. While we were racing, they each cheered me on as they passed, which brought a huge smile to my face. I feel so honored to be part of this sport where we take care of each other and encourage each other, regardless of our speed.
I met my goals and finished the race with a huge smile on my face. I was so proud of myself - from never having raced a cyclocross season to completing a season where I successfully finished every race I entered. Dead last in every race, but I still did it, which is a huge accomplishment.
I watched the men’s single speed race after mine, still muddy and gross. Next time I’ll wash my bike and legs before spectating, but I didn’t want to miss a minute of the action! It was so fun cheering people on - from the fast guys in front to the party pace crew in the back. This is what cyclocross is all about.
The elite championship races were held on Sunday, but I had plans to meet up with some friends in Chicago for a ride. We met and rode the North Branch Trail nearly 20 miles (again on my single speed) and I’m still amazed by how flat this part of the country is! I couldn’t ever imagine enjoying riding a single speed 20 miles in Seattle, but here I was, enjoying every pedal stroke!
After our ride, I headed back to Cantigny Park to hopefully catch the championship races. I arrived after the Women’s race, which is probably a good thing, as there were a number of anti-trans people who showed up to protest the inclusion of transwomen in the race. I say it’s a good thing I wasn’t there because I won’t put up with that non-sense and would’ve maybe gotten in a fight. Transphobia and discrimination and hate have no place in cycling and the community made it clear that they weren’t welcome. Unfortunately, USAC didn’t do anything and a number of racers felt intimidated by this hate group. In the wake of this, the CEO at USA Cycling is out, but it doesn’t seem like substantive changes will be happening. Definitely something to keep an eye on for the future.
Overall, I am so thankful, happy and proud that I took on this challenge. Racing cyclocross is so far out of my comfort zone - it was a great experience to put myself out there, learn new bike skills, and make a lot of new friends in the process. I’d like to think I’ll be back on the starting line next year but probably still in the Beginner Women’s category.