The Element of Luck

Saturday's ride at the state championship left me pondering the element of luck in 'cross racing. I had a decent start and was in the second group after the first lap, feeling good. On the second or third lap, though, I flatted and ended up having to soft pedal a very long stretch, losing at six or seven places prior to even reaching the pit and changing wheels. While obviously not in the running for a good result, I charged hard out of the pit thinking with some hard riding I could at least avoid finishing DFL.

While bemoaning my luck at the end of the race, truth be told I've been extremely lucky in avoiding mechanicals while racing. I can count on one hand how many times I've flatted in races over the last 5 or 6 cross seasons, which is very fortunate (that or I run my tires at too high a pressure).

While luck can play into results, though, there are bigger factors. The first is riding smart. I should have realized my tire was going flat when instead of railing turns as in warm up and the first few laps, I was blowing my lines, and that perception my brakes were dragging should have told me I had tire problems. By the time I had figured out my tire was going flat, I had passed the pit and had a long slow ride ahead before my next chance to change wheels.

After leaving the pit, I was riding too aggressively, and somehow ended up stacking it pretty good going over a log. I'm not sure if I was on the bike or on foot, but somehow I went down hard giving myself a little whiplash in the process (I think it was a mild version of the "scorpion". Anyway, I was lying on the ground and someone was yelling "you're ok," so I jumped up and kept riding. Savvier riding could have prevented all of this.

Ultimately, though, the biggest influencing factor in a good finish in a cross race is being a strong rider. The top four guys on the day are all incredibly strong riders who race a lot and have paid their dues several times over. The fact the strongest, hardest working riders end up doing well in the sport is one part of it's appeal.

So really I have no complaints - I learned a couple things, rode as hard as I could, and kept fighting to the end. Considering the big picture, having the resources, health, and opportunity to race makes me very lucky indeed.