Big Race Weekend

I picked up a cool jersey this weekend. Yeah, that's right, I'm the Short Track Cross Country Male Beginner State Champion. Before you send congratulations, I have to confess that I didn't have to beat anybody for the title. Just show up and race. I do deserve something though. STXC is brutal. Especially for an old, out of shape, overweight guy who doesn't train and has limited technical skills. I raced STXC four times in Northern California and four times in Southern Oregon. Isn't it cool? Champion of the whole state of California. That's way better than champion of someplace like, say, Wisconsin.







I hooked up my trailer Friday afternoon, loaded my bikes and stuff with one dog, Jake, and headed for Yreka. I almost didn't go because there had been a wind advisory for 80 mph gusts on Siskiyou summit in the morning. By mid afternoon there was only light winds so I took off. I stayed in an RV park in Yreka and was ready early to race cyclocross, my first race of the season. It was a good race. Nice course in a park. Some grass, some single track, some mud and some shitty, rocky stuff that was totally unnecessary, some barriers and a couple of steep runups. They only have A and B races in this series so I race as a B 50+. There were 37 racers in my race. I lined up near the rear so I would be out of the way of the young, fast guys. It was really slow at the start and I thought "this feels pretty good". I was the only 50+ so I decided I didn't need to push it. I just took it easy. I passed a few people who tried to ride what I considered a run up early in the race and then, late in the race, I started passing people who had run out of steam. I passed a guy on the last lap that I have never beaten before. I felt good at the end. Maybe next race I'll try harder.
It was muddy in spots.













After the race was over and the raffle was done I headed for Weaverville on Hwy 3 through Scott Valley and over the Marble Mountains. It was very scenic, lots of color. I passed a sign at one point that said "Steep curvy road 7 miles ahead autos with trailers not advised". I figured since I had a truck, not an auto, I'd be okay. I was. I just took it easy going down the other side of the mountain.











I stayed in another RV park in Weaverville. Not as nice as the one in Yreka, lousy cable TV and no Wifi.











The STXC race was uneventful once I realized that I was the winner by default. The course was pretty boring. A muddy, rutted road, a long rutted, muddy uphill section, and then a steep downhill drop in to the finish. Four laps for us beginners. Hardly worth the effort except that now I'm the State Champion.

Next weekend is in Grants Pass. It's the second race of the Outlaw Cyclocross series. I'll be there since I'm the points leader in the B 50+. Maybe I'll have some actual competition.