It's November and we are deep into Cyclocross season here in Colorado. I spent my first two seasons as a Cat 4, but after winning a few races, was moved into the faster Cat 3 group, where I've been racing since last year. I continue to fall more deeply in love with Cyclocross for it's unique mix of technique, strategy, risk, pain, suffering, and reward.
This year is unique in that our bike crazy hometown of Boulder is hosting the US National Cyclocross Championships. The event is at a bike park that's a 5 minute ride from my house, so there's no reason for me to not do it.
On January 11th, I'll line up against 149 other guys between the ages of 40 and 45 to race all out for 45 minutes. With the help of a more experienced friend and elite level racer, I've been actually training for a little over a month. Cut out the booze and the chocolate. It has been a challenge to maintain the family / work / racing balance, or as a fellow racer-father calls it -- the "three way teeter totter." But I'm getting faster and learning a lot.
As it turns out, my friend and training partner, Brad, is also my biggest rival. Brad and I rode from Boulder to Snowmass together last summer. Since we are both self-employed, married with kids, and over 40, we thought it would be fun to chronicle the trials and tribulations of our training for Nationals.
So for the next few months, we'll be writing honestly about our journey here. Like the race itself, I'm not sure how it will end up, but it's bound to be a good ride.