That’s cos we haven’t experienced heat before. Most of those spectators had already raced in previous grades. I got my puffer jacket back on pretty quickly !
MYPU FFER
2 Likes
1st race today. On a course that I really don’t like because it.is a bunch of elevation and a descent that sketches me out. Did cat 4 masters because there’s no reason for me to race against 20 year olds. I felt good about everything except the long bumpy climb that was at the top of a long run-up. The descent was ok but still scared the crap out of me every time.
I finished 14 out of 29. I dropped my chain twice and had to stop to get it back on because of 1x. The top 10 was only a minute ahead of me. Pretty sure I could have been there without the drops.
Feeling good about the season!
7 Likes
Had a lot of fun at cyclocross over the weekend. Probably should have practiced more at jumping back on the bike after jumping off.
12 Likes
Is that @capn_FANCYpants
8 Likes
Sweet. Don’t have to do shit. I mean, could help to get in some more shape, but that won’t affect the results.
Good eye - it is indeed! I’ll be helping with the planning of SSCXWC Bham 2026! It’s gonna be a good time!
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Are you still in Arkansas tho?
For one more month. Moving to Portland in November. Fuck Bentonville.
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Is it too much like a company town?
at the end of the day it’s still Arkansas
4 Likes
I’ve been trying to articulate why I hate it here so much, and honestly, it’s hard to explain. By all objective measures, my quality of life will be going down when I move - cost of living, crime rates, access to trails.
But this place is like living in Disneyland. Great to visit, but you don’t want to live here. It’s too much concentrated wealth, no actual bike community, and mostly a tourist town.
Aside from the biking, there’s not a ton to do, especially as a 39 year old childfree by choice woman. There is a world-class art museum and trails, but I need more people, more diversity.
I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been invited to church.
I’ll always be grateful for the time I spent here, as it really helped get All Bodies on Bikes off the ground, but it’s time to go back to the West Coast.
11 Likes
Pretty sure your bike needs to be upright first. Rubber side down, as they say
1 Like
Big race tomorrow. It’s been raining hard all evening and it’s supposed to clear up for the morning. Perfect conditions for mud but not racing in the rain.
4 Likes
HY 2nd place today on a super wet, occasionally muddy course. Really great off camber that was almost rideable and caused carnage even for people trying to run it.
14 Likes
Participation for our state CX series. Average for the 6 years before covid was 461, for the 5 years after 292. ~170 people just poof gone. Where’d they go?
Not local gravel because attendance is flat, or down. Not road or MTB either. This trend seems to be most places, at the local level for the different disciplines. Has the story of why the “covid bike boom” failed to precipitate an increase in race attendance been written? I haven’t seen it, yet. Is it possible for national level gravel events to suck up all the local racers?
There’s this type of guy who used to race cross that was wiped out by covid. The local season was canceled for 2020 and it’s like a spell was broken. A dozen or a little more, guys just like this. Maybe I’ll be this guy next, enthralled for who knows how long?
Worth remembering that over a million USAians died in the Covid mismanagement, and many many more are likely to have long covid symptoms.
1 Like
Is it possible that many people just don’t have the desire to race anymore? Old folks are aging out or not having the drive to race masters? Young folks just aren’t competing in anything? Based on my experience with the youth as a teacher, millennial and genZ kids are more worried about paying rent than they are paying $50-$70 to lose a race in crappy weather.
I live in NYC but the Corpro Brand Club Rides have gained a lot of regular riders and it doesn’t seem like much of them have any interest in trying racing.
I think the “not being competitive is cool” vibe is powerful right now. Naturally competitive people are just getting their kicks on group rides instead of in organized races.