I was heartbroken when I learned the road racing season was ending. I felt like I had just started rolling, and now it was over. I participated in the Tri-Flow Women's Development Racing Program this summer, and it was such an empowering experience - I was hooked on racing, and thought I'd have to wait until January to race again. Boo-hoo.
In conversations with Lorri Lown, coach of the Velo Girls program, I began to notice that she used the word "cross" in almost every sentence she spoke. "What's cross?" I thought to myself, "and why is Lorri so obsessed?" When I asked her about the sport, Lorri made it clear that cyclocross is basically the meaning of life, and I could try it at an upcoming clinic hosted by the Velo Girls.
So I borrowed a mountain bike and showed up at Coyote Point for a cyclocross clinic taught by Andi Mackie and Lorri. We learned how to mount & dismount the bike, run over barriers and up hills, how to suitcase and shoulder the bike, too. Inspired again, I quickly bought a cross bike and rode it every chance I had - determined to race in a few weeks.
Jen Jordan on the top block of the Bay Area Prestige Prestige Series/Hellyer CX podium
I continued practicing the basic skills I had learned at the clinic while wondering if I'd ever be able to pull this stuff off at race pace. On Saturday, I went to Hellyer Park with Lorri, Janet, and Kim to pre-ride the course. It was the first time I'd actually seen a cyclocross course. This pre-ride with more experienced cross riders made all the difference in my confidence. I made it around the course in one piece, and we worked on the challenging elements, and I was able to sleep well on Saturday night.
This was the first race I'd done that didn't start at 8:00 or 9:00am, so I had plenty of time to eat, pack up, and make it Hellyer Park in San Jose by 11:45 on Sunday morning. Lorri, Janet, Erin, Sarah, Yvonne and I had a few more chances to pre-ride on race day - each loop feeling a bit... smoother? Mentally smoother yes, but physically no. This was no road race. Imagine riding over those parking lot speed bumps (except covered with a layer of dirt), over and over and over and.... leading to the velodrome! Now this was more like it (like a road)! Throw in a few more barriers, quick turns, a steep uphill run (with plenty of barriers to jump over), and a short descent leading to a small boulder and a tree that was right in our way. The order of this is all mixed-up, but you get the idea.
We spent about 30 minutes warming up on our stationary trainers, and went to the starting line at about 2:00 for our 2:05 start. I had been drinking liquids constantly the whole day, because I couldn't figure out how I could possibly take a feed during the race. I knew I was taking a risk, but that was the plan I decided on.
We lined up at the start -- Elite Women first (the A's), then the Masters, B's and C's. We thought there would be a slight delay (30 seconds or so) between each field. When the A's took off we were surprised that they sent the rest of us (Masters, B's, and C's) all off together in one big "herd" (about 45 of us). It was pretty crowded and chaotic. Maybe this is typical of a cross race - I really have no idea.
Rather than just "go with the flow" at the start, I decided to squeeze through any hole I could find. I figured that if I was passing someone, it would be harder for others to pass me. I didn't use a heart rate monitor or a cyclocomputer so I don't have any data for you, but I can honestly say that I was going as hard as I possibly could the whole time - 40 minutes of panting like a maniac with my mouth wide open. I did get about 30 seconds of recovery when I drafted another racer on the velodrome (oh how I looked forward to the section of course on velodrome each lap).
I'm not sure how many laps I did -- 6 maybe? Things started to thin out as time went on. I kept setting my sights on people ahead of me and trying to catch them. I never really looked back. The course had some tight curves, so you could get a sense of who was in front of you and who was behind. I probably passed about 15-20 people during the race -- usually while jumping barriers or on the velodrome. I figured I was doing pretty well.
Right around the time I started dying of thirst (the last lap and a half), the Elite women started zooming by as they lapped me. I knew this was coming. It was so amazing to see how quickly they took the descents, turns, and barriers. The idea of chasing them seemed like a joke. The bell for the last lap was the best sound I heard all day (with the exception of the much-appreciated cheers of encouragement I heard from our supporters). I just tried to maintain my pace and close my mouth on occasion so my tongue wouldn't dry up and fall out.
I was so proud of the other Velo Girls and myself for finishing the race. We raced hard and learned a lot from each other. Thank you Jennifer for being my biggest and best fan ever. Thank you Lorri and the Velo Girls for showing me that commuting to work wasn't the limit of my cycling potential. I feel like a new person.
I can race, and I can win!
Check out all the photos from the race at the velogirls.com gallery
