Streetcred stage 2 - Cross race

Today is Tuesday. Last Saturday was stage 2 of Streetcred... to put it simply, it was the most fun i've ever had on a cross bike.

Music

• Daft Punk ' Voyager'

I've had a lot of fun on cross bikes. Jinglecross was at the top of the list, until now. The Streetcred cross course was a-ma-zing. It's almost like the designers of the West Bottoms knew it would turn into a barren wasteland that would be perfect for an urban cross race. That's foresight, people.

The race had it had it all.

By my count you had to dismount 5 times per lap, 4 once the makeshift barrier(ie shower shelf thingy) broke and was pushed aside. But even without the 'barrier' you were still kept on your toes by the 3 loading dock's and one huge snow bank that was impossible to ride. Since i'm like the Mikhail Baryshnikov of getting on and off my bike i liked this aspect of the race.

Then there was the fact that over half the course was sloppy, slushy, muddy, watery and awesome. It was like a belgina cross race you would see on Youtube. There had been a foot of snow sitting in KC for at least a week by this point, but by Saturday the temp's were in the 50's and everything was starting to melt. In a weird way, this was the most cross seeming cross race i've ever done. Around every turn was a technical section or a long sloppy stretch that really tested the handling skilz. It was sweet. Watching the helmet-less / brake-less / slick tire / track bike folks try to tackle these sections was impressive. Although i noticed several of 'em grabbing pit bikes that had knobby tires. Not that i blame them.

And then there was the huge turnout. It was huge! Way to go KC. There must of been twice as many folks as last week. And once again, the folks at PBR hooked it up big time. Beer and prizes. No wonder it's the blue ribbon winner.

How about a race recap:

I'm glad i skipped the pre lap otherwise i might have skipped the race all together because it quickly became apparent we were all going to be soaked to the bone. plus the lack of per riding meant i had no idea what was around the next corner so once the race started i just went into every sketchy section at full speed and got thru it due to the momentum. I started dead last b/c i was snapping pictures. After one lap my feet were soaked and my bare hands were freezing. After 2 laps i was in heaven. It was pure cross. After 3-4 laps i was leading the race! I had the lazer focus going. Every dismount and remount was like a fine wine, every technical section was sliced thru like warm butter, i was a fighter plane made out of biceps. Nobody could stop me.

I won!

Do i have a shot at the overall? Probably not, but who gives a sh*t. Streetcred lives!

We even got folks in DC talking about us.

Chrisgo, you should start a second job as a cross course designer. You're the man.

Next week is the Crit, see y'all there.