Once again I was fortunate enough to take part in a local race. This time it was the Vanier Park Cyclocross race. I was signed up to do this race in 2019 as my introduction to the sport, but the race was cancelled, making Aldergrove my intro to CX.
Jen, Thomas, and I arrived early so I could register and do a warm up lap of the course.
The course was very technical from a riding perspective. There were only 2 points where I needed to jump off the bike. The rest of the course was lots of twists, turns, and rollers. The course was also surprisingly wide. I felt that even if I was going to be lapped, I would have plenty of room and not need to slow down.
I finished my warm up lap in about 15 minutes. So I set my race goal at 2 laps, since this was a 30 minute race. I thought about going back onto the course to practice a few of the more technical spots, but I had done well on my practice lap and did not want to over think anything.
Then it was time to start. I lined up in the back knowing I would end up there anyhow. The start was an uphill so I made sure to be in the proper gear. Then start horn went off and the pack took off.
I was soon passed by a few people but felt I was moving at a good speed. At one point I had to stop due to a wipe out in front of me on the slippery pine needles.
After that it was just the simple task of navigating the twists, turns, and rollers. A few of the rider who passed me were now beginning to fade and I was able to catch up fairly quickly.
I made my way to the first section that required me to jump off the bike. At this section, riders went down a hill, made a 180 degree turn and then went back up the hill. However, on the uphill, there were 2 barriers. So at the bottom, you needed to jump off the bike while making the turn after coming down the hill. I had practiced this on the warm up lap and felt pretty confident. This was the section I did not want to over think.
I executed it perfectly (perfectly enough for me anyway) and ran up the hill over the barriers. I could see and hear Jen and Thomas cheering. At the top of the hill, I jumped back on my bike and rode on, focusing on getting my heart rate back down.
I navigated the twisty course and was soon at what was called The Belgian Steps. This was the second section that required a dismount. I jumped off the bike, ran up the steps, and jumped back on just before a downhill. I quickly clipped back in before using the downhill speed to aid in the following uphill.
I made a right and turn and bombed down the hill that I knew marked the end of the lap. As I flew past timing tent, I saw the number 3 displayed. I took this to mean we were doing 3 laps. Awesome. That is one lap more than my race goal.
Lap 2 was more of the same. I was now for familiar/comfortable with the course and could speed things up. I was even able to pass a few more people.
Lap 3, I was feeling really good. I was taking the turns much faster, I was pushing up the hills, and taking more advantage of the downhills.
I came down the last downhill expecting my race to be over when I realized I had one more lap. I had the read the sign wrong. 3 was not the total number of laps. 3 was the remaining laps, meaning 4 in total. I was not mentally prepared for 4 laps, but I took it as a challenge.
I pushed hard on the 4th lap, knowing it was for sure my last. I was passed by a few of the race leaders. They passed and offered up encouragement as they went by. It makes me love this sport even more when the first place rider can lap someone in the back, but take time to cheer them on.
Soon I was at the last downhill before the end. I threw my bike into gear and sprinted down that hill. I crossed the line with a big sigh of relief.
This course is my second favorite course when it come to CX. I had a ton of fun. My goal was 2 laps and I managed 4. I was able to turn my brain off and just ride. I set some new heart rate records but never felt as though it got too high.
4 laps in 37 minures 54 seconds and I didn't finish last!
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