HOOORAY FOR MUD! and Fish on a Stick

THE RACE Jan 24 2009

Today was a C2 race in the quaint little town of Zonnebeke about 2hrs from Antwerpen. The weather was nice, the sun was shining, and I got away with wearing a few less layers than normal.

The first 30min onsite is probably the most interesting. I get to try and figure out where Sign- On is, where the toilets are, where the start is, what my start-time is yadda yadda yadda.

This part of Belgium is practically kissing the border of France, and has a pretty distinct French Influence. So, the people here speak a version of both Dutch and French. Haha, but that still doesn’t help me. I wanted to be different and took Cree in my secondary education. Anyway, the people here also speak English. Or at least when you ask them if they speak English they say “Yes, a little” which I’ve discovered can mean anything. This isn’t a problem, they are such nice people who are super easy to approach and talk to. I don’t usually get a clear answer from just one person, but after 4 or 5 I’ve got a pretty good idea that I get my race number in that pub across the street. I handed my race license to the official looking guy at the laptop. I couldn’t understand a word he was saying, so he compensated with some accurate hand gestures, well shaded doodles, and clear pointing skills. Okay, my number is 3, and I’m starting with the Junior Boys at 1:30. Okay, thanx.

Pre Ride - Although still not fitting of the “fantasy euro cyclocross” image in my head, it was a pretty sweet course. I would classify it as MORE FUN when compared to Suihuirsterveen. There were snack-shacks set up around the course for spectators. Menu items included some kind of bratworst, ham-hamburger and dried fish on a stick! Not to mention the beer stands – they had line-ups at 11:30am and most of the spectators had a beer in each hand. People coming to watch the race would park their car, then go to their trunks to put on a big pair of wool socks and rubber boots, then grab a flat of Pilsner or Jupiler and make their way to the course. (see rubber boots below) haha

This course was shorter, with a lot more turns. One section had riders zigzag back and forth down and up through this sort of ditch/trench in the middle of a park. It was grass – but since I am pretty sure the water level in the ground is 245% saturation, the moment you ride on it, your tires dig into the dirt underneath and create a bogging sorta effect. No barriers, but there was one cool sketchy downhill, and then tonnes and tonnes of that incredibly tough Euro Mud. Overall I liked the course, and knew the mud sections would be the hard parts for me. Two pit areas, both probably essential for this course, but I had Mangey stationed at the muddiest one.

The pit areas are neat. It’s actually where I get the most classic euro-cross feeling. The pit guys are all older gents, with rubber boots or entire rubber suits like fishing gators, and old archaic brushes haha, probably passed down through pit-man generations. They usually have a cigarette hanging outta their mouths, and a beer posted on or beside the base of one of the bit barriers or stakes. Mangey has been the only women in the pit area in every race. She has yet to run into problems, but at every event one or more of these seasoned dutch cx pit-guys steps in to help wash the bike, or... wash the bike for her. Haha, poor guys – eventually the pits will be overrun with women techs.... won’t be long before they can only reminisce about the gold old days.

Start – Well, women race with the junior boys at this event. Check out the Vid.... haha, FAST, fun... but long. It hooked a mean right after about 500m, and then another 100m or so before crack’n a hard left into the mud. Felt like forever! I couldn’t really understand the start announcer again, so I just waited for a whistle, or gun or something. I tried to tag and memorize the other girls in the group so I knew who I was chasing, but easier said than done. Junior boys and women are not always easy to differentiate :P. Trust me. Most of us got called up behind the boys, so we got positioned at the back, and that is pretty much how I hit the dirt off the start. The other girls and I trickled in the bottom half early on. The boys hit the mud sections fast, usually too fast and a few buried their front wheels in and flipped over the handle bars; creating some fun hit’n miss group crashes. It was pretty much guaranteed that they would land face first, haha, so I couldn’t help but laugh at them (reminds me of me). There were 3 crashes in front of me that I, giving me some opportunity to move ahead a couple spots with the other girls. I was riding up with two other women, one from Japan, and the other I’m not sure. The first lap was pretty high pace (likely due to starting with the j-boys), and the two girls just ahead were riding pretty frantically through the mud. Lots of power, but they were almost crashing themselves off their bikes. One of the girls was clearly powerful, once she found her rhythm she moved through the mud sections with ease. I was straining to figure out how!!!... what tires? what gearing? what lines was she riding? But I’m pretty sure she was just super amazing through the mud.

Second Lap - She gapped us a few bike lengths in a longer mud section, and I started concentrating more on the girl from Japan. She was jockeying for the lead in front of me. We had our 2nd bikes stationed at opposite pits, so it made for some interesting racing. She would get her fresh bike first and then navigate through the mud easier. I had to work hard to stay on her wheel. Then we’d get to the second pit and I would change bikes, and pull ahead of her. Fortunately for me (I CALL THIS AN AMAZING STRATEGICAL DECISION) the second pit was right before a more technical section (steep down –the up, with mud section – followed by hardpack). With my fresh bike each lap (and mtb skillz! Woop woop) I managed to navigate the next sections faster and easier. I finally drop’d her on the 3rd lap and thought I was running a smooth 2nd among the women. Haha, however, during my little battle with the girl from

Japan, we got passed by a “junior boy” haha, or so we thought. Turns out it was a girl, and we both neglected to realize it. So, I finished 3rd, but a good 3rd. The girl that came in 1st was strong, and I’m aware that mud is my weakness among these riders. She put a good couple minutes into me by the end of the race.

MUDDY! If it weren’t for the bike changes this course would be almost impossible with only one bike. The grass acted like a binding agent and kept collecting in the stays and in between the sprockets on the cassettes. My Blue Louis G was equipped with Hutchinson Bulldogs, and My Black Louis G had the Dugast Rhinos (I am talking about Tires for those of you who are learning with me). It was a complete toss-up. The rhinos were way better for the deep mud, but most of the mud was faster to run anyway and the bulldogs were better on the hardpack. So, I guess I had a good combo, and the only saving grace was the fact I had a bike change each lap (Which went flawlessly every time). High Five to Mangey - the only Female Pit Person!

What I learned – Mud is actually pretty new to me. It’s not the same as the races back home, and this season was especially dry. I’m still trying to find some legs for that stuff – but I am impressed with how they (the other racer dudettes) can ride it here.

-never leave without duct tape! I snapped my Chain Catch on my Blue Louis on a training ride in “The Woods.” None of the shops have them, cause no one runs single ring. SO! With some help we used super glue, and duct tape and so far so good!