U.S. cyclocross champion Katie Compton. She dominated the Planet Bike Cup cyclocross races in Madison this past weekend!
Now that it’s fall, it’s time for the cyclocross season to kick into the big ring. But after a summer of training for and suffering through RAGBRAI (albeit with a big smile on my face) I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to get into cyclocross this year. Watch it? Yes. Do it? Not sure. If you’re training for it properly, you’re hurting. And I wasn’t in the mood to be hurting.
Plus, I had already bought a new pair of tires for RAGBRAI that were a royal pain to put on my wheels, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to go through that torture again! It also would have meant I needed to buy new cyclocross tires, as the ones I had really needed to be retired.
Enter the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross’ Planet Bike Cup in Madison, Wis., this past weekend. It featured 3-time world cyclocross champion Erwin Vervecken, a slew of U.S. riders I’d only read about or seen on DVDs such as Jeremy Powers, Barry Wicks and Jonathan Page, and — here was the dealmaker for me — Katie Compton, U.S. cyclocross champ and bronze medalist in the World cyclocross championships!
If you’re a cyclocross fan, this is pretty much the best of the best. I’ve gotten to see some really good ‘cross racers before, such as Todd and Troy Wells, at JingleCross in Iowa City (gonna head back there this November, by the way!) and veteran racer Chris Horner, who’s done the Tour de France. They’re all incredible riders in their own right — Todd Wells is a former U.S. cyclocross champion — and to have them headline a race is awesome.
Katie Compton flies around the corner with the lead, which she held the entire race.
But the Planet Bike Cup featured a crop of all the top riders in the sport! And once I found out that they were coming to Madison, only a couple hours’ drive from where I live, well, no question where I’d be that day. (And thankfully, the stars lined up so that I had the day off, as did fellow Veloduoer(?) Michelle.) The racing happened all weekend, but we were able to go to Saturday’s races!
Needless to say, it was a great time. Michelle and I went with our friends Emily and Jim, and we wandered around the entire course getting views of the racing from the best vantage points. One very cool thing about cyclocross is that the course zigs and zags everywhere, so no matter where you are you’ll see lots of action going on.
The course started out a bit damp and muddy but dried out throughout the day — actually kind of disappointing, since the mudfests make for the best memories (see last year’s Sunday races at JingleCross, which we WEREN’T at, dammit) but still, with the course getting more ripped up with each passing racer, it still called for expert bike-handling skills.
Saturday's elite men's winner Jeremy Powers
And it’s amazing how fast these riders tear through the course. Most courses are between 1 and 2 miles long, and the announcer said Katie and the lead women were doing laps every 5 minute 55 seconds or so; the top men every 5:30. When I do my “lap” around the course I made up for myself at the Jones County Fair grounds, it’s at least 15 minutes a lap, and I know I have a much easier course!
Another really cool thing about cyclocross (and much of bike racing, except maybe for the premier races and tours) is that you can meet your favorite riders. I got to meet Katie and her husband, have her sign my hat and have my picture taken with her! That’s the equivalent of a football fan meeting his favorite superstar, except I didn’t have to win a contest, shell out big bucks or sneak through security.
Sunday's elite winner (and Saturday's second-place winner), 3-time World cyclocross champion Erwin Vervecken
And both Katie and her husband Mark were very cool, so down-to-earth. Katie asked if Michelle or I have raced ‘cross, and we said we’ve tried it (I think Michelle did more talking, I was too awestruck) but didn’t do very well. Katie just says it’s all about having fun out there, and that she doesn’t even own a road bike.
Mark talked about how they get to travel and enjoy Europe. Much of their time is spent traveling the U.S. and Europe, racing against the world’s best cyclocrossers in preparation for the U.S. and world championships. I hope she wins them all, and I wished them both the best of luck for the rest of the season.
Mark Legg-Compton, Katie's husband, sporting the KFC shirt. What's it stand for? "Who always wins the race? Katie F*cking Compton!"
Thoroughly inspired by the day, after we left the event we headed to Machinery Row Bicycles in Madison, one of the coolest bike shops you’ll ever find. And while Emily and Jim made some initial inquiries about buying ‘cross bikes of their own (do it, you two!) I got myself another pair of ‘cross tires. They weren’t the most expensive or lightest, but they had the knobby treads, and in fact were more treaded than my inital set. I’ll go slower on the roads, but I should have much better traction off the roads. Michelle, having worn her old ‘cross tires smooth, got another set as well.
Neither of us was sure if we wanted to put in the effort and suffering to train to race again for this year’s JingleCross. We came in last in our respective divisions last year (Michelle’s racer No. 911 and I’m racer No. 855; the guy I “beat” broke a chain and was running around the course carrying his bike just so he’d finish, so I don’t count that) and although it’s all about having fun, it is discouraging to come in last no matter how much effort you put into your training and racing. (Although the race fee goes to a great charity — the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital – the fee, combined with a one-day race license, adds up to quite a bit.)
But after this weekend, we’ve decided that we’ll just have fun riding cyclocross-style, and that there’s no need to make a decision about whether to enter a race until even the week or days leading up to JingleCross. And if we decide we’ll just show up to watch and cheer other riders on, that’s totally cool.
Emily and Michelle take a break. There's a good view of the race no matter where we were!
On Sunday night I switched my tires, took off the water bottle cage and frame pump, and admired the return of my lean, knobby-looking Gunnar Crosshairs. Monday morning, I took it out to the fairgrounds. It was cold, it was tough at times, but it was fun. And it was only for one lap, at a relatively easy pace. (I had to get back and get ready for work.) I’m sure that doing multiple laps there at higher exertion won’t be as fun as the first time around, but I hope I’ll find myself enjoying it a lot more than I expect.
And come November, I hope I find myself inspired enough to sign up to race.
-DAVE
Katie Compton flies over the hurdles. None of the elite racers even break stride or lose momentum going over these!
One of the trickier parts of the course: turning around a slope where your momentum wants to take you downhill. WIth mud to boot! Lots of falls here.
Ever the alert photographer, Michelle takes a picture of me taking a picture of Katie.
Even after the race, Katie was nice enough to chat, sign a hat and take a picture with me!
