Boulevard Cup CX

Today is Monday October 27 2025 and yesterday i raced the Boulevard Cup CX race.

It was pretty great.

i cant remember the last time i did a cross race but when i registered for my USA Cycling license it indicated i hadn't had one since 2021 so its been at least 4 years.

i did the masters 40-49 race, i think there were 7 of us, we started on a steep paved road. i loved the course but on the first lap i was very much all over the place. It was rainy and just a bit slippery and my tires were not good but i knew that would be the case and i was game to make the best of it.

At the moment i continue to operate inside of the Zen attitude i discovered right before the Little Sugar Mountain bike race. Simply put, i'm thrilled to have opportunities to ride and race my bike and i'm hoping to ride this wave as long as possible.

Yesterday that attitude was key and without it i probably wouldn't have showed up because the morning of the race i was totally unprepared. But i want to race which meant i needed to get out there regardless.

After the steep paved start i was by myself pretty quickly however the 50-59 race which started maybe 15 seconds after us quickly passed me. i doubt they all passed me, and im not even sure where i finished in my own race, but those are two things to look forward to. Can i keep up with my race and can i stay ahead of the race right behind me. Probably not but i'll try!

The course had a steep hill you had to run, a long off camber strait i tried both riding and running (neither with much success), and one set of barriers. i was worried about doing barriers but it turns out i still got it! 

All in all if felt like a proper cross race in proper conditions so it was the perfect course for jumping right in.

Physically i felt okay. My back did start to hurt towards the end but besides that i felt like i could do everything i wanted, just not as fast as i wanted. i'll try to keep riding a lot and do a lot of high intensity stuff to jump start my engine but i don't expect to see much improvement in the 6 or so weeks that comprise the remaining cx season. 

But its all good. 

i just wanna ride.

Bicycles!