Contented Discontentment (alternative title: Cyclocross is Fun)

I asked a buddy yesterday if he misses racing bikes. He told me no, essentially because he’s either all in or all out; he wouldn’t be content just racing for fun. (And life wouldn’t allow him to be all in).

In the men’s Koksijde CX world cup race yesterday, the current world champion had all types of mechanical issues, causing him to fall back from the leader and slip off the podium. He battled back to take third place. He didn’t have much fun (his words, not mine), but given the challenges, he must have been content with his finish (my words, not his).

Saturday morning I did a slow course pre-ride with Brent. Chatting about features of the Redcross course; what climbs to run vs. ride; recommended lines. Roksi felt ready to rock. But after a proper warm up, turns out Roksi is a liar. A few last minute tweaks to my shifting, I hoped for the best and headed to the start for my call up. Best start I’ve ever had in a race, I hit the barriers in stride in third place. I slipped back a few spots but was still very well positioned for a top-10. And then I wasn’t. On what seemed like every climb, my rear cassette and chain were playing out a lover’s quarrel Chain: sorry inner cog, let’s cuddle and make up. 28-tooth cog: GET OFF OF ME, I NEED SPACE! 25-tooth cog: HEY, DON’T COME CRYING TO ME. GET OUTTA HERE.  And so it went. I had to ease off the power and climb in a harder gear, overcooking the legs while getting passed. A whole lot. Final result: 17^th place. Rather than trust my own mechanical (ahem) skills, I stopped at the bike shop for a quick look-over by a professional on our way home. Thanks to the Giant mechanic who got Roksi dialed in at no cost. Also, I almost walked out the shop with a brand new cyclocross bike. Almost.

Finally getting used to these call-ups, I had another fast start at Sunday’s School of Cross race. Tackling virtually the same course, I felt confident of a top-10 result. And it started off that way. Sitting top-10 through 2.5 laps, I lead a group of four up a run up. Remounted and took one pedal stroke.  Didn’t move forward.  Dismount. Put my chain back on. Remount. Give chase to the six guys who just passed me. I caught a couple. Closed the gap to others. Saw the gap re-open. Held the gap steady to my chasers. Discontentment overpowered contentment. One final effort to the line. Another missed opportunity. Another fun opportunity. 12^th place.

Had you told me in early September I’d realistically be battling for a top-10 place almost every race, I would most likely have been content with that prospect. But as the season winds down, I’d say it’s closer to contented discontentment. I don’t know what that means, but I think it means I'll keep striving to get faster. But I'll have fun along the way.