Yesterday, the Kansai Cyclocross Round 4 at Makino (UCI-C2/JCX#4) took place.
For Josh, this was his first race since arriving in Japan. He had fully recovered from the fatigue of his travels and was able to head into the race feeling relaxed. Clad in his new team kit, he is set to charge through this #jjkracingInJapan Tour.
Makino is a hilly, power-focused course laid out on a ski slope. Josh seems to prefer technical courses, but given that this was a UCI/JCX event and many tough competitors had gathered ahead of the Nobeyama CX, he started off the race in a good position. Since he started two rows behind me, I thought I would try my best to at least keep up with him at the beginning, but as expected, he is fast.
However, unfortunately, he got into a crash early on that caused mechanical issues, forcing him to change bikes (thanks to Gishi-kun from SimWorks and Notch-san from Effect for the support!). Then, his rear tire went flat, and even after changing back to his main bike, the trouble persisted, leading to a DNF. It’s a disappointing result, especially since he was so motivated, but surely he’s used up all his bad luck now! He’ll reset his mindset and hopefully put up a great fight in today's C1 race and next week's Nobeyama CX!
As for me, whose C1 status might be in danger (?), I had a vague feeling halfway through the race that I was right on the bubble of the cut-off line (ranking within the top 66% of participants).
Josh gave me a solid boost of encouragement when he passed me before he dropped out of the race, which helped me keep my focus and continue riding. While in a pack of four, I was struggling with the desire to push forward versus the anxiety of the 80% rule and wondering when I might be pulled from the race based on the time gap to the leader. I decided to make a move, but it turned out to be a premature jump, resulting in one extra lap. Even so, I finished just before the cut-off, placing 44th out of 67 starters—truly right on the line. My form is improving, so I’ll do my best alongside Josh at Nobeyama next week.
Also, Josh will be racing in the C1 race at the Makino Round 5 today, so everyone, please give him your support!
As mentioned the other day, tomorrow night we are hosting a CX school with Josh Kelley.
It’s being held on a weeknight, but feel free to come straight from work and change at Circles. We’ll also have some light snacks available at HEDGEHOG DINER after the school, so we hope you will all join us. He will kindly teach his skills and the basics of cyclocross. He is really looking forward to it! We’ll see you tomorrow at 18:30!