Maybury Cyclocross

I entered my first ever cyclocross race, this weekend at Maybury State Park on my new cyclocross bike. Having never entered a cyclocross race, here are some important n00b lessons I learned:

• Run your tires at 50 psi.
• Shoulder your bike on the run-ups - especially if they're muddy.
• Remove the watter bottle cage so that you actually can shoulder your bike on the run-ups.
• Practice running barriers before racing.

Mad props to Andrea Tucker and f/go for the sick gnar photos!

Overall the race was a ton of fun. I placed 5th in the B's after spending most of the race in 4th with about 20 seconds to fifth place. With about 1.5 laps to go, I slid out on a corner and could not get going again. The 5th place guy caught me and we rode together for the last lap, but he put a good gap into me in the barriers.

Midwest Cycling Group put on an awesome race at a great venue. Plus they did it for a reasonable entry fee of $15. After helping to organize collegiate race weekends where each entry fee is capped at $13, it's hard for me to justify paying a promoter $30 for a cyclocross race. The low entry fee was a good move by MCG - it definitely tipped my decision. Props to Joe Lekovish for that.

After the race, I planned to ride 25 miles back to Ann Arbor (I rode to the race from AA before the start), but then decided to ride to Birmingham (home) instead. I got my directions mixed up about halfway there, and ended up taking 3 hours on what should have been a 1-1.5 hour trip, ending up with a whole bunch of riding hours for the day!