Mud in My Teeth

(Thanks to MTBRaceNews for this great photo of Tom and I that seems to really capture the essence of this crazy race and for providing great coverage, as usual, despite the weather!)

Dave says: Dark clouds rolled in over last Saturday's cross race in Draper. However, the rain held off until 2:10 pm. Unfortunately, we started racing at 2:15 right as rain and hail began to dump. I got a good start and ended up behind Bart in 2nd when we hit the craziest part of the course. It was a downhill, off camber, slightly turning section where the mud made it like a sheet of glass. I literally held my breath and slid down it sideways without an incident (this time) while riders behind went flying (check out the huge glob of mud on Alex Grant's head).

It was a slop-fest where your bike sounded like it was about to break, your tires slid sideways in every corner, your sunglasses were so dirty that you couldn't see, and your hands were so cold and wet that you couldn't feel them. This is "real" cyclocross at it's best. I worked with Reed Wycoff for awhile in the middle of the race. His brakes were basically non-functional and I watched him slide out right in front of me. On the next lap, I went around him right before the tricky hill and then promptly crashed and dropped my chain. As a result, my face was covered with a little extra mud for the rest of the race.

The crash through off my groove as I slid out again a bit later. Near the end, I worked with my teammate Tom before he dropped me at the end and I took home 6th. I have mixed feelings about whether it was fun or not. On the one hand, it was one of the craziest races I've done. On the other hand, no one should ever be riding a bike under those conditions. Check out this sweet video of the race (which regrettably shows mainly pavement sections) and you'll get an idea of what cross is like.