Tale of a Run Up at Seattle Cyclocross

All quiet before the hurt parade arrives

It wasn’t that steep, muddy, or technical of a run up. It was the location in the Seattle CX course, after a bumpy off-camber turn and the spacing of the railroad tie barriers, that just shattered racers.

A Face Full of Twists and Turns

Haven’t seen so many Suffer Faces in one 9ft section of a course all year. It stole their form and it was anything goes to get it up it. At 2 and then 1 to go, racers we’re doing whatever it took to get up it. We saw heads collapsed on forearms as they carried, pushed, and dragged their bikes to the top.

Every breath you take, Every move you make, Every step you take

Tale of a Run Up

When asked about Cyclocross, I say, “the tales are on the run ups.” That’s the TT, the sprints finishes, or mountain tops of this sport. After 7 laps, run ups become a blurry obstacle on your way to the finish. It’s where you carry the bike like a burning urn between your forearms. Where you’ll excel or suck and likely discover something about yourself.

Like, how hard you can actually go and just how deep your reserves are.

Hard Fall

I took a break from getting my ass kicked in the Elites and raced Single Speed. Decided to roll the course and realized I made a bad choice in tires. After coming close and then falling hard on the pit turn, I phoned it in to the finish. I want to stay healthy with just a few races to go.

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