Cross Crusade PIR



The final Cross Crusade series race was this last Sunday (A tear shed...). But boy did it go out with a bang!  The weather had been atrocious for several days before the race so I was expecting the course to be sloppy. But like most poor ignorant bastards I didn't really understand it until I was there.


Kenny putting the power down on one of the many areas of the course where you had to get off and run.

 During my race (Master C 35+) I ended up having to dismount and run at least 6 times per lap. And I'm not a fast runner (On account I'm fat and such.). But the peanut butter mud was out in force on the course. And for scenarios like that, running as much as it pains me to say it, is faster.

For those of you that don't know what peanut butter mud is, it's the kind of mud that's thick and sticky (1:2 parts water and clay.) and sucks your will to live. While simultaneously slowing any forward movement to a crawl. Momentum is the name of the game in almost any type of racing. Any hindrance to momentum is a bad thing. So peanut butter mud = bad. But what it takes away in forward motion it makes up for in benefiting good bike handling skills. Any off camber corners, descents or inclines too for that matter make for opportunity to pass a floundering compatriot.



Graham riding the Clif Shot bird to a top ten finish.

There was a lot of festivities going on during the course of the day. The food trucks, beverage tents and musical accompaniment were rockin'.



This drum corp made me want to put on a kilt, some blue face paint and fight for my freedom.

The only thing that wasn't rockin' was the mechanical carnage to the poor bicycles. I have NEVER seen so many broken rear derailleurs and hangers in my life. I saw at least fifty during the course of the day. And that's not an exaggeration. There very well could have been more. It got so bad in my race that they changed the course mid-race. I think all the bike shops in the greater Portland area should send Brad Ross (The promoter for the Cross Crusade.) a fruit basket.

Both myself and my equipment managed to get away unscathed. So we shall live to fight another day! There are still a few cross races left on the calendar. So I'm going to make a big push to race at least a few of them. Since the middle of my season was so lacking.

If I don't post tomorrow, I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and hopefully get a chance to go out and ride some over the long weekend.  Until next time...

Thanks for reading!

Rubber side down,

Big E