The cyclocross Gods smiled on the Bamacross race #6 at Fain Park in Montgomery over Thanksgiving weekend. Whether any cross racer will admit it or not, we long for the brutal conditions that the sports riders in Europe face. We long for the rain, snow, wind, and cold. We want the conditions to be raw. It helps separate the racers from the wannabe’s.
Starting Thanksgiving night and continuing through Sunday’s Masters Race, 2+ inches of rain turned the fairly timid Fain Park course into a monster. The winds kicked up, and the temperatures dropped. The ditch crossings turned into tricky watery traverses or peanut butter thick mud. The 2 run-ups turned into mud slicked slip and slides, and the bog on the back of the course turned into a quad burner with a water crossing that could swallow a semi-truck.
The team relished there opportunity to get the seasons first taste of true cyclocross weather. 5 races in sunny temperate weather is for the roadies, we wanted, no feigned, for this weather, and we were not going to let our opportunity go to waste.
The tone for the days races was set on the very first lap of the very first race. It was going to be a slow, back breaking, quad burning slog around the course. Larry started things off and showed the way in the Master’s race coming home in 5th. Mike and Zach then took their turns with Zach coming home 2nd in the Junior’s, and Diesel coming home 6th in the CX4/5. Both Larry and Diesel decided to relish the epic conditions and doubled up to race with Chris and Mike in the CX 3/4 race. Chris lead the way in 12th, with Larry close behind in 13th, Mike finished in 17th, and coming home dead last, racing for the love of the sport, Diesel.
Lots of mud and lots of fun. We will probably never get all of the mud out of our clothes, or our bikes. The series season finale is in Cullman this Sunday, so come on out and cheer us on.
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