Taking the fork in the road

Cyclocross races are several 1-2 mile laps on twisty courses in county parks, corn fields, campuses, ski slopes, and breweries (not at the same time). Races are by time, not distance. After timing the leaders for a couple of laps, officials decide how many laps the race will be. For example, 45 minute race, 8 minute laps might be 5 laps, 6 if they're sadists. Everyone finishes on the same lap, so if the leader laps us just before the finish, then we're done; if the leader doesn't quite lap us, we have to do a whole 'nother lap. Races are all out, all the time. I hope either for the leader to lap me or for an aneurysm, which ever stops the pain first.

For two years starting in 2010, I raced in the 55+ class. I was seldom last, but not far from it, so I named my one-man racing team Penn Ultimate (get it?). For the next two years, I raced in Category 4.  This is the class where people normally start, and they move up to Cat 3, 2 and 1, or age out into Masters classes (35+, 45+, 55+). Cat 4 folks range from "dude - let's go ride our bikes around in the mud" to future superstars accumulating points to move up. There are often 100+ riders, so there is always someone with whom to compete.  This is where I learned lessons like "don't fall", "try to pass the guy ahead of you", and "get a starting spot near the front". I think you're supposed to learn this stuff when you're 15, not 65, but I'm a bit of a late bloomer.

By 2014, I chose my niche: I converted my bike to singlespeed (another story) and went back to my true people, Masters 55+. With newfound wisdom, a couple years of conditioning, and the Baby Boom swelling the ranks of 55+, I was adequately competitive: in a dozen races, I averaged in the top 2/3rds. I was in no danger of winning, in little danger of being last, and there was always someone with whom to compete - I had found my place in life, forever.

But a funny thing happened starting November 2nd at Stoudt's Brewery, the belated State Championship. I realized that on some courses, gears actually matter. Then, on the 15th at Kutztown, I learned that hidden within the 55+ class, there was a virtual 60+ class that accumulated points throughout the year, meaning they grade on attendance. Hmm - I can do attendance. I could even reconsider gears.

Then after Thanksgiving, I learned not only was I State Champ, but also if there were a 69+ class², I would be #1 in the country (based on USA Cycling's incomprehensible points)! Finally, in December, I learned that the Nationals have actual races for 65-69, 70-74, 75-79 and 80+ (there are two guys!). Whoa - in 2017, I would be #1 in points in 70+, therefore, I would win the Nationals!

I had to get me some gears! And some disc brakes! And a carbon frame lighter than my Comcast remote!  I went to my beloved bike store, Bikesport ¹, and bought a Niner LSD Rodeo (or maybe it's BSB RDO, I was too excited to pay attention). It cost almost as much as my first new car (1974, not much of a car, but still). How do you know when you've spent too much on a bike? When your bike store features your bike at an "Endurance Sports Expo". Just kidding - no price is too high for the 2017 National Champion bike (uh, oh - I hope I didn't disrupt the cosmic timeline by revealing facts from the future).

So, I've gone from being totally at peace with mediocre 55+ finishes to having lofty, some say delusional, goals:

1) drive 12 hours round trip to defend my 65+ State Champ title in 2015
2) enter enough races for podium finish in 60+ year-long class (attendance, not performance)
3) raise my arms at the finish as I win 2017 Nationals as youngest in 70-74

Right now, you're probably wondering "how's the progress toward those goals a third of the way through the 2015 season?", but that's a story for another post.

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1 Bikesport is one of the best businesses I've ever dealt with. Even before I was a B-list bike store celebrity, they treated me really, really well.  http://www.bikesportbikes.com/

2 Just in case you don't believe that I was first in the nation at some point in a make-believe 69+ class according to USA Cycling's incomprehensible point system, here's proof:

Region	State	Gender	Discipline	Category	Age Range
AllNortheastWestMountain CentralNorth Central	AllOverseas MilitaryAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict Of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandPuerto RicoSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming	MenWomen	- Please Select -Road: Road RaceRoad: CriteriumRoad: CyclocrossRoad: Time TrialMountain: Cross CountryMountain: Cross Country MarathonMountain: DownhillMountain: Dual SlalomMountain: Short Track Cross CountryMountain: Super DTrack: Points RaceTrack: Scratch RaceTrack: Individual PursuitTrack: SprintTrack: KeirinTrack: Time Trial	ProCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Open	123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899 - 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899

Note: Ranking points are NOT upgrade points. An explanation of ranking points can be found here.

Current rank points for Road: Cyclocross Mens (69-98)
Rank	Points	Name	City, State	License	Racing Age
1	299.67	J2M	Pottstown, PA	443321	69
2	326.04	james briggs	North Huntingdon, PA	274597	72
3	332.85	Rick Abbott	Boulder, CO	213837	69
4	350.82	Donald Snoop	Middleburgh, NY	104325	71
5	363.30	Whitney Fanning	Waco, TX	89401	70

...
(there are 52 more)
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