A Decade and Plans Laid

So, I got this cool graphic from E:

Very cool. It's true. I raced my first CX race in Southern Pines on the big ol' Raleigh hybrid bike in Novermber of 2002. I didn't tell the family I was racing because they would've wigged out and my wife was figuring I'd have a heart attack on any hill climb already, so I went stealth. They were off to see family and I was to meet them in a couple days.

I remember being scared and just wanting to finish. I remember it vividly: there was sand everywhere and I was pretty miserable. I was, clearly, at the back of the race, doping along like the rickety caboose, and calling out to observers, "Am I still in front?!" I couldn't believe I finished and was sharing my shock with anyone who would listen. I also made a vow right then: I would never race in the Sandhills again. Sand pretty much sucks and, so far, I've kept good on my promise.

The first CX bike. The Clydesdale.

All that is good and ten years later, here I am. I've ridden dozens of CX rides all around North Carolina and even in Virginia. I've been incredibly consistent in my performance, hugging the back of the pack since the start and hating (almost) every minute as I'm racing as much as I love it thereafter. It's all still good fun.

But I've been challenged by the better half to ride the bike a little more when it's a) not autumn or winter b) not a cyclocross race. This took some thinking, but I've come up with a plan. I have had some mild interest in these quasi-mountain/road rides that are suited to the Steelman. In the Midwest, they're termed 'gravel races.' I figured, I could do that. It'd be a bit longer, but I can avoid the sickeningly long stuff. I mean, I'm not going to ride a century on the road, so why try one on trails? That, combined with the inspiration of E and Barry riding Battenkill has me looking to these 'Roubaix-styled' rides.

Interestingly enough, there is an incredible lack of creativity in the naming of some of these rides. There's Barry Roubaix (MI), Rouge Roubaix (LA), Perry Roubaix (GA), Boone Roubaix (NC), Blythewood Roubaix (SC), and Mule Hell Roubaix (WV) and Hillbilly Roubaix (WV). This, at least, makes these types of rides easy to search via Google. Extra points go to "The Hell of the South" in Berlin, TN for resisting the Roubaix moniker. All this is to say there are ample choices.

And, yet, I'll not start with any of them. Instead, I found a race in late February called Southern X, in Dahlonega, GA, that combines a little cyclocross with thirty miles of trails and paved climbs and descents. It is quite possible I'll be out of my depth, but I think I can finish -- just not quickly.

An endurance event seems like an exciting new challenge and I'm eager to see if I can't slingshot my momentum and experience there for a little tour of the Atlantic with the following race schedule (by no means confirmed):

• Southern X (Dahlonega, GA)
• Boone Roubaix (Boone, NC)
• Mule Hell Roubaix (Wytheville, WV)

That kind of schedule is ambitious in geography as well as physical demands. I've already started making changes to my fitness routine, which is to say I've established a routine. I think there's sufficient time between the events to allow me to recover, assess and prepare. All this would take me through most of the Spring and that would be 4 months more than I've done before. Maybe, I'll be in a little better shape come the Fall.
So, Geronimo!