Bosscross

Saturday, October 3 · Westford, MA

The month kicked off at Bosscross in Westford. I got off to a good start but faded as the race went on, finishing 7th in the masters 60+.

Lancaster CX day 1

Saturday, October 10 · Lancaster, MA

Lancaster is a super fun, fast course, and I took the bait… again. After a really good start I thought I could hang with the second group, but I blew up in the third lap, and after a minor mishap with the tape I eased up. I did manage to sprint to the line on the second-to-last lap so I wouldn't get lapped, and finished 24th out of 33.

Lancaster day 2

Sunday, October 11 · Lancaster, MA

Day two went much better than the day before. I held back at first, then worked my way up from 7th to 5th, and my last lap was my fastest, which is always a good sign. I won the sprint finish for 5th out of 18. 📸 Paula

Treehouse day 1

Saturday, October 17 · Deerfield, MA

The course at Treehouse was partly soggy, and I had a few slide-outs in the early laps. I gained momentum in the second half of the race, and once again my last lap was my fastest, good for 7th out of 32.

You can see this race with video and race metrics on Laptrack.

Treehouse day 2

Sunday, October 18 · Deerfield, MA

Day two at Treehouse doubled as the New England championship, and I just missed the podium in the 60–65 category, finishing 4th (7th out of 31 in the M60+ race).

Race video and race metrics are on Laptrack.

Really Rad day 1

Saturday, October 24 · Falmouth, MA

I had a really good start at RRFCX, until I wiped out hard in a slow turn on the second lap while battling for third. It turned out my front tire had gone soft. I rode it precariously through the corners for the next lap before deciding to swap bikes in the pit, and half a lap later I was able to switch back and carry on. I started to fade a little over the last two laps, then clipped the barriers for a second mishap, which cost me fourth place. On the final lap a dark horse (black kit, a racer new to me) nipped me for 5th, and I finished 6th out of 24.

Really Rad day 2

Sunday, October 25 · Falmouth, MA

Day two started so-so: I didn't clip in right away and ran the first section in the sand. That still put me in fourth with a gap to close, and over two laps I worked my way up as the group fell apart, ending up racing with the number two rider.

At one point I was in the lead, but I fumbled in the sand, and on the second-to-last lap I lost focus for a moment and fumbled on the off-camber. After being overtaken, I worked my way back onto the wheel of the second-place rider and sprinted for second, but came up just short, finishing 3rd out of 21, only two seconds behind the winner.

A great day of racing with lots of battles.This is how cross should be!

Noho day 1

Saturday, October 31 · Northampton, MA

I closed out October at Noho CX on Halloween, finishing 20th out of 59 in the 55+ race and 6th among the 60+ riders.

I had a pretty good start, then rode solid laps and was able to push hard on the power sections, racing with folks who are usually a little ahead of me. One mistake in the second-to-last corner section, where I bent the tape a bit too far and got tangled up, probably cost me three spots overall and one in the 60+.

Looking back on October

The big takeaway from this month is that I'm racing more consistently. Apart from the first two races, there were no blowups. My power was consistent throughout, and more often than not my last lap was my fastest. My fitness is so good right now that I've changed my mind: I'm going to Nationals in Fayetteville again!