My 1st Cyclocross Race - COMPLETE!

At a Glance

I close out 2013 with my first-ever cyclocross race — the Long Island Cyclocross at Nissequogue State Park — charging from mid-pack to 16th on a heavier mountain bike, and instantly hooked on the discipline.

HIGHLIGHTS

Result: finished 16th of 51 racers, up from a ~30th-place start
Raced the Long Island Cyclocross at Nissequogue State Park (hosted by Kreb Cycle)
Held an average of 181 bpm over the 60-minute effort
Competed on a mountain bike against lighter, dedicated CX bikes
Mass start with all categories on a grass course with two obstacles

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Set a realistic race plan: knowing the MTB was a disadvantage, he focused on catching riders ahead rather than chasing the leaders
Steady effort pays off: a sustained high heart rate let him pick off racers lap after lap
Try new disciplines: stepping outside triathlon added variety and fun to the offseason
Technique matters: the few technical sections demanded focus on line and balance
Verdict: he’d race cyclocross again “in a heartbeat”

I couldn’t think of a better way to end 2013 with a totally new experience! Cyclocross has always been on my list of things to dabble in during the offseason – and so I raced the Long Island Cyclocross event in Nissequogue State Park. This event is hosted by Kreb Cycle, one of the bike shops on Long Island.

When I got to the park, which is surrounded by empty buildings, I was skeptical about the course. I knew that the terrain would be mostly grass, but I didn’t know if there were any obstacles along the circuit. Once checked in, I did a quick 2 loop warmup. The course was actually quite simple – a few technical spots and 2 obstacles.

The race started a few minutes after 10am, with all categories in one mass start. The start wasn’t as hectic as I expected, and it was nothing as crazy as an Ironman mass swim start. Nonetheless, I put myself into ‘race mode’ once we all started. The course wasn’t tricky, but there were a couple of technical spots that really made me focus on my line and balance.

I started in the middle of the field, probably around 30th place out of the 51 racers. After the first lap, I had passed a good number of racers, but could see that I was still far from the front. I knew that racing with a mountain bike would give me an instant disadvantage against those racing with much lighter cx bikes, so my goal was not to catch the leaders, but to catch anyone I could see in front of me. With that game plan, I pushed an averaged of 181 bpm throughout the 60 minutes; and lap after lap, I caught up with the guys in front of me, finishing in 16th place.

Here’s the ride data!

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The following photos were taken by LimPuiu Photography. Be sure to check out his other albums!