Getting my Feet Wet in the Cat 1 Pool
At the end of 2013 after a solid
year of racing in Cat 2, I made the decision to put in for my Category 1
upgrade through USA Cycling. For me this
was both an exciting and nerve-racking choice for me as I knew I would have to
step up the game in my racing. I was
happy though when I received my approval for the upgrade as to me this was a
huge achievement to make it to that level.
After I received my 2014 license
sporting the new markings of Cat 1 I began to feel the pressure a little especially
knowing that XC Nationals was going to be on the east coast again. And this
year and I was going to have to qualify my way into Nationals instead of just choosing
to go as a Cat 2 racer. So finally this
past weekend I entered into and raced in my first Expert/Cat 1 level race at AFC
Sugar Hill in Patapsco state park which is down towards Baltimore, MD.
Leading up to this weekend I have
been doing a decent bit of riding and training but didn’t feel all the prepared
as I have felt I have been lacking the discipline in training in the early part
of the year. I finally decided though to
just go race my bike and just needed to get my feet wet in this new category
and just let happen what was going to happen.
The day of the race me and a buddy
of mine decided to carpool down together and we both expressed how we were a
little uneasy with racing with it being so early in the season still. I think we were able to talk ourselves out of
our nervousness and were content with just enjoying whatever was going to
happen that day. The day started off
well, we got down to the venue with plenty of time for Ralph to get ready for
his race, which was a few hours before mine.
This gave me plenty of time to socialize and catch up with a bunch of
people I don’t get to see but only at races and this helped settle my
nerves.
Race time came, staging was called,
and there I was lining up for my first Cat 1/Expert race. My heart rate was steady, legs and body felt
pretty good, and the mind wasn’t racing to bad, and then….3…2…1…GO!
Off we went up the road and into the steepest climb of the
day in a loose, rocky, muddy, and water bar climb leading into the main
course. I kept telling myself to stay
calm, stay loose, and stay smooth. My
heart rate pegged almost immediately and stayed there for quite a while as I watched
the majority of the pack race away from me with very little for me to do as I
knew I still had 2+ hours to go and had to pace myself.
The biggest different in the Cat 1
races vs the Cat 2 races is the fact that the distance is a good bit longer
(usually about 1/3 longer) and the pace is a good bit faster as well. One thing I did notice with this group though
vs the sport/Cat 2 groups is how much smoother everyone was and that really
made the racing experience more enjoyable because you really didn’t have to
worry about what that guy around you was going to do because in theory he knew
how to handle his bike very well.
Out on the course I felt pretty good
and felt strong and I raced down the trails and through the woods on my new
bike which was seeing its first race. It
took me a little over a lap to feel like I had settled into a good pace and was
feeling more in the groove. I was
enjoying the experience, enjoying the ride, enjoying the bike, and enjoyed
feeling pretty strong…even though I knew I was well towards the back of the
pack. It wasn’t until the last lap that
did I really start to feel the stress of racing that next level and definitely started
to tire down. I pushed hard and pushed
on as I knew it was almost over and I was almost done with my first race of
this caliber.
I finished the race feeling accomplished
and feeling good with the day. I also
then went and apologized to my teammate Scottie for catching him at the
absolute last second and passing him in a sprint to the finish. In the end I finished 23rd place
out of 28, but I’ll take it. I went home
on an endorphin high and went to bed that night thinking of the next two
wheeled adventure….bring it on!
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