Two weeks ago I set out for Seattle to line up with some of the best in cyclo-cross and to visit a great friend. The Star Crossed/Rad Racing GP weekend was the UCI opener and the kickoff of the season for many of the big name riders. Having never been to Seattle I was instantly blown away by all of the mountains, water, and greenery everywhere. Some describe the weather this time of the year as 'recruiting weather' because the perfect temps, sunny skies, and beautiful scenery make you want to up and move. Its a perfect setting for anyone who loves the outdoors. Anyway, I got in on Friday with more than enough time to take in the city, as Cory and myself covered most of the downtown area by bike. Saturday was set to be the famous FSA Starcrossed in Redmond, just north of Seattle. With the race not starting til eight that evening we had plenty of time to go see some more tourist attractions. We drove out past Sammamish to check out Snoqualmie Falls. It's a giant waterfall in the foothills of the mountains a bit northeast of Seattle. After we had our fill of tumbling water we headed for Redmond to check out the course and watch some of the races that were going on. The course runs the area outside, as well as the interior of a velodrome in Redmond. The course looked really fun and pretty technical overall. We sat around for a few hours before it was time to warm up. As night fell it was time to get geared up and ready to race. With about 30 minutes to go until the start a little rain started coming down. First a sprinkle and then a little heavier. The rain teased us and let up as the whistle blew and we took off. I started a row from the back with the rest of the pretenders. Within the first couple laps the rain was pouring down and the course was getting really sloppy. Riders were going down left and right. I was rolling pretty good for about the first 30 minutes and steadily making up ground little by little. At about the halfway mark i hit the deck i a muddy corner and came up a bit dazed. It took me a couple laps to get back in the rhythm and i managed to give up quite a few spots. After regaining my composure i started to recoup some of the ground i had given up. I was riding smooth and making fewer and fewer mistakes. Rolling through the last lap i was overtaken by the lead group comprised ofChristian Heule, Jeremy Powers, Jonathan Page, Ryan Trebon. My goal of not getting lapped was in the dirt. Never the less i was happy with my finish in my first UCI event. 43rd on the day of 80+ starters. The tough part was trying to wind down after the race and try to get to bed at a decent hour. My bike was looking rough after all the mud, so it couldn't wait til morning. Im pretty sure that the hotel bath tub is still stopped up with mud and grass from the course. I woke up earlier than i would have liked to, but it did allow me time to own the continental breakfast. Sundays race was a bit south of Seattle, so we checked out, loaded up, and headed for The Rad Racing GP. Sundays course was much more open than the night before. It was a course that required a lot of power and my legs were feeling rough! During the warm up the fatigue and aches in my legs were way too obvious. As if that wasn't enough of a deficit to try to work through, the course had an UCI limit run up of 80 meters. 80 loose, sandy, steep meters known as the Knapp Time Run Up. Little did i know at the start it would be the run up that would allow me another mid pack finish. We got going and I was hurting bad from the first lap on. No power, no recovery, no anything. It was a bad feeling to have in such fast and accomplished company. Lap after lap i struggled to not go backwards. Lap after Lap i cursed racing, bicycles, and what ever else i could think of all while dragging my bike up those 80 meters. The corner just before the run up ensured that you lost all your momentum going into it and that you would in fact have to run every last meter. After a few laps i started noticing riders on the side of the course after or just before the run up. It was taking victims left and right, just as the mud had the night before. Every time i hit the run up I wanted to throw i the towel, but seeing that other guys already had fueled my fire. In the end the result was about the same. I got lapped by Page and Huele on the last lap and finished a very modest 41st. Besides feeling like a beginner after racing some of the best cross racers around i had a great time. The courses were dialed and spectators were out in full force. I had my own cheering section in the form of Cory, who was loud enough to spur other people to start yelling for me. The weather was great both days, giving the racers a sample of both wet and dry conditions.
Sunday afternoon it was time to head to Bremerton, west across the sound from Seattle. I unwound from acouple hard races with a home cooked meal and some fine wine provided by my host. Monday we set out to hike a small summit in the Olympic's. After a good bit of driving we hit the foothills and climbed the park roads for a couple thousand feet. At the base of the hike we were at 2800 ft and would climb to 6500 feet over the course of four miles. Cory set a pace right off the bat that made my legs scream and my heart rate jump way to high to obtain any form of recovery from the weekend's races. The round trip time for the hike was supposed to be 4 hours total. Being competitive as we are, we managed to hit the top in a little under an hour and a half. So much for a rest day. The view from the top was more than worth the pain invested in reaching it. You could see several note worthy peaks in the distance. Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St. Helens. Being that it was a clear day you could see the edge of Canada and almost to the Pacific on the western horizon. After a couple of hours taking in the view we started heading down. I thought the hard part was over with the climb behind us. I thought wrong, the decent is bone jarring. The steep trail perpetually beats your knees and hips without rest. I would never want to be a mtn climber. So much work for such a small pay off. The quick pay off and easy thrills make riding hard hobby to pass up. At least in my opinion. Monday after the climb, too tired to cook we polished off a giant pizza and passed out. Tuesday morning it was back to home to Texas. Next time I will stay longer and maybe never leave.
Huge thanks to Cory for hosting, driving, pitting, and cooking for me. It made the trip possible for me. And thanks to MAD DUCK for all the help. My bike was DIALED! Come by the shop and we can set you up on a killer cross bike too. And thanks to MOMENTA TRAINING. Fitness is building.
just say no to proof reading.
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