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What hurt the most was the front-row call up. And the pedal wrench. 
As a business trip to Denver came together a month or so back, I asked my Boulderite friend Rob about any rides in the area on the 18th. He shot back a link to Cowboy Cross. Cowboy Cross is a unique event where racers will face dirt obstacles in the Stadium Arena, wind their way towards the cow exit for some fresh air & then head back into the arena up some more stairs. This course is an inside & outside course! (And no goatheads!)"While I was disappointed by the absence of goatheads, I registered nonetheless. So now all I needed was a bike. I reached out to my numerous friends in the area, but none came through. (Don't worry, all have since been unfriended.) Next, I tried a number of bike shops in the Denver and Boulder areas. Zilch. I moved on to spinlister, a promising web site that lets bike owners put their individual bikes up for peer-to-peer rent, airbnb-style. When I got to bike type selection, I found the graphic that follows. 
For those who don't have a magnifying glass handy, I had my choice of road, fixed gear, children's, cargo, tandem, BMX, pennyfarthing, even triathlon. But. No. Freakin'. CX. (I subsequently emailed spinlister and they promised to add CX, but as of yet, have not.) I was getting vanishingly close to my option-of-last-resort, borrowing Rob's mountain bike. Then I hit upon a Eureka. I went to craigslist. And filtered for 54cm CX bikes. And found a bunch. I emailed five to ten of the most promising ones and asked if they'd be interested in renting me their bike before they sold it. I received a range of responses. Sorry it's not really worth it for me. Your best bet is to buy a used bike and sell it afterwards.Here's the one I accepted: Let's make it happen. I'll just race singlespeed that day [he had been planning to race in my class as well]. No reason to blow up and finish last in two categories. I run a team out here, so I will usually be there very early in the morning to set up and start cooking bacon for handups. You're more than welcome to hang out and drink a few beers after the race with our band of miscreants. We are the Tender Belly/Oskar Blues team. We race, have a good time, and don't take cyclocross too seriously.Things were going very, very well. The Friday before heading to Denver, I visited with some great friends from college. The husband was looking great--he'd recently shed 30 pounds. "This has got to be more than exercise." I prompted. "I gave up wheat," he replied. He elaborated that he'd recently read the book "Wheat Belly," which takes firm aim at wheat and the harm that it does even for those who aren't gluten-intolerant. Higher glycemic index than sugar, etc. etc. So I thought, hmm, maybe I'll give it a try, it's really just an extension of the Zone (which advocates for an even balance of carbs, protein, and fat, and with which I'd had success in the past). "Give it 2-3 weeks and see how it goes," my friend suggested. Dinner with them included flour tortillas (corn for them). Then, two Bud Lights on Saturday at the U of DE Parents Weekend tailgate. After that, cold turkey until Thursday morning before the race. So why'd I make it only 4 days instead of the recommended 2-3 weeks? Toward the end of the day Wednesday, I started feeling not so good. At first, it was lethargy and a mild headache. Then, a persistent loss of balance. Now, maybe the giving up wheat thing was a coincidence. After all, I was now at altitude. Maybe it was just a temporary thing and I'd feel better in the morning. I woke up Thursday morning. Not better. Perhaps even a bit worse. So I went with Plan B. Namely, scarfing muffins from the complimentary Hampton Inn breakfast. By the time I got to work, I was feeling better. By late morning, the symptoms were coming back. I had a sub (on a big roll) for lunch, felt much better. By late afternoon, lagging again. Pizza for dinner. Better. As was Friday. Things were going very, very well. The arena venue, pictured below, was fantastic, and like no other 'cross setup I had ever seen. (Be sure to check out the two videos below.) 
And here's the course map. 
The venue may have been fantastic, but I wasn't. Despite my gluten gluttony over the past few days, I was right back to how I felt Wednesday evening. Breakfast muffins didn't help. Hydration didn't help. Time didn't help. Disappointed, I nonetheless resisted the urge to race. 'Cross is hard enough with the best balance I can muster. In my current condition, "best" wasn't in the conversation. [Back at sea level, and back on the wheat, I feel fine, but will see a doctor for good measure.) No refund on my race registration fee, but at least I avoided the agreed-upon $50 bike rental. And with plenty of time before my late afternoon flight, I was at least able to play the role of photographer/videographer. Call ups for the Men C (Cat 4/5) race were by number. I had 204. (Tucked safely in my back pocket.) With a field size close to 100, I figured they must be starting in the 150s. Nope. 200. That's right, I was the fifth rider called up. By name, even. While I'd like to think that my East Coast cred earned me the front row privilege, I think the order boiled down to when we'd registered. The hole shot wouldn't have been likely, but with only a short sprint before the first turns and the entrance to the arena, I likely would have gotten off clean, avoided the bottlenecks, and hit the dirt flying. I suspect it will be a long wait before I get that opportunity again. Missing the front row hurt more than missing the race. Epilogue: Oh, and about that pedal wrench. I forgot to transfer it from my carry-on bike bag back to my checked suitcase. TSA in Denver now has themselves an addition to their toolbox. The Arena, Men C (Cat 4/5) race Bikecam view of the B race |
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