I went to the second round of the Hirata Cyclocross race yesterday.
It’s always fun to race locally where I see so many familiar faces. This time, Mr. Yanase also entered the C3 category, which finishes in time for the shop to open. A number of other CRC members also entered the C3, so it was very exciting to watch!
This time there was a "rhythm section," where how well you could push and pull—like on a pump track—greatly affected your time. You don't often have to be conscious of vertical movement in cyclocross, so that's added to my list of things to work on for next season (lol). I guess I'll just have to practice on my Gopher!!
Riding to the race from Nagoya has pretty much become the standard CRC style.
If anyone is interested, I'm thinking of organizing a ride to the venue next time!
As for the race results, I entered the C1 and finished 2nd, just like last time. I fell off the lead pack and rode solo for the middle part, but managed to catch up toward the end to finish. The winner finished far ahead of me, so I still have a long way to go. I debuted my Cielo CX Racer in this race, and it accelerates cleanly out of corners. I haven't mastered it yet, but I'm convinced that as I get to know the bike better, it will become an incredible weapon. If you're interested, please feel free to ask me at a race venue and you can even take it for a spin!
Click here for more photos.
Click here for photos by Mr. Maekawa of CRC.