Why I Am SUPER EXCITED To Race Cyclocross This Year
I have had an extraordinarily packed race season this year. I’ve raced the St. George Half Ironman. The Rockwell Relay: Moab to St. George. The Crusher in the Tushars. The Leadville 100. The Salt to Saint (yeah, still not quite over that one). And that doesn’t even include events.
And of course, I’ve still got the 25 Hours in Frog Hollow coming up.
That is a lot of racing. Enough racing, perhaps to leave any other man all raced-out and ready to take it easy. To just ride for fun, at a nice mellow pace.
Photo and very sexy shorts courtesy of Kitsbow
But the term “taking it easy” isn’t even in my vocabulary, although I quite clearly just used it in this very sentence.
No, I am absolutely, totally stoked to start the cyclocross racing season.
Photo and shorts continue to be courtesy of Kitsbow
I am ready — nay, eager – to train. To put in the hard miles at threshold, so I’ll be ready to give it my all on the cyclocross course on weekend mornings.
None of the rest of these shots are courtesy of anyone. I took them myself. Except the ones of me, naturally.
Indeed, I think it’s safe to say that I am more focused on getting my body in to tip-top condition than I have ever been. I am putting in huge miles on my road bike. Head down, staring at my GPS, measuring my watts, trying to achieve personal bests on Strava.
Hey, I know what’s important.
Why, just yesterday I found a nice empty park and spent two hours working on my fast dismounts and running re-mounts.
I know it may be a little early to say this, but I have a feeling that this is going to be a breakout year for me on the cyclocross track.
Oh, and my diet. You should see how motivated I am about staying on my diet right now. The cold weather and shorter days haven’t changed my appetite at all. There’s nothing like a nice crisp bowl of salad greens (and out-of-season vegetables) on a crisp October evening!
“I’ve gotta stay trim for these cyclocross races I’m so excited about,” I tell myself.
Oh, and The Hammer’s the same way. Our mileage hasn’t dropped at all in the past few weeks. We are training hard together, she and I. Getting lots of miles in, keeping our noses to the grindstone.
Because autumn is for cyclocross, baby. Autumn is for racing.
I’m so glad there’s no such thing as an off-season anymore.
PS: If you’re local and you have a TV, I’ll be on KSL for about three minutes between 12:30 and 1:00pm today, talking about my blog.
Comment by wharton_crew | 10.16.2013 | 7:24 am
I miss Utah so much…
Right now there’s no better place to be, and few places equally as good. – FC
Comment by Andrew | 10.16.2013 | 7:27 am
Now I can’t tell if you’re serious or not… Cyclocross, really?
Oh to be as motivated as you both.
Cheers
I promise you there is no possible way you are less motivated to race than I am right now. – FC
Comment by iRide | 10.16.2013 | 7:27 am
April Fools in October?
Comment by J | 10.16.2013 | 7:40 am
Bring that weather and scenery here! That is an amazing view and what I enjoy when I ride/hike.
And it’s right at its peak of beauty right now. – FC
Comment by Nic Grillo | 10.16.2013 | 7:59 am
Dude, you’re hilarious! I almost thought you were being serious till I read the practicing dismounts/remounts thing!
Comment by MattC | 10.16.2013 | 8:00 am
Ahhh Fatty…if only you’d be as serious about your unicycle, you’d actually be able to pedal it across your driveway by now. I have to agree w/ iRide…I think you are being humourously sarcastic about your complete and utter disinterest in cyclocross. Tho I could be wrong…personally after a 423 mile ride I’d have tossed my bike to the curb and cursed at it, not wanting to see it again until spring (well, that would be my butt talking there).
It’s on my to-do list. Seriously, it is. Still. – FC
Comment by Clydesteve | 10.16.2013 | 8:15 am
Sarcasm, I look thee in the face and I quail not.
Comment by zeeeter | 10.16.2013 | 8:16 am
Oh No. Matt mentioned the Unicycle. This could mean trouble.
Comment by TK | 10.16.2013 | 8:21 am
Have you sold your cyclocross bike yet?
Nope, however I have loaned it to someone who is actually putting it to good use. A nice bike shouldn’t just gather dust. – FC
Comment by rob W | 10.16.2013 | 8:40 am
Isn’t this the time you hunker down and put some weight back on?
Pass the pumpkin roll!
Yeah, and don’t skimp on the whipped cream, either! – FC
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 10.16.2013 | 8:48 am
Zeeter’s right! The ‘U’ word has been _ttered.
Love the Kitsbow, but isn’t it synonymous with ‘luxury body’. Maybe after this year you have achieved that vaulted status.
Like my friends above seriously envious of those trails, Out here trails like that are lined with poison oak.
Man, everyone thinks that because I have a problem with one company’s advertising techniques I have a problem with not just that company but with the entire sector of the market. So, for clarity’s sake:
1. I don’t have a problem with upscale bike clothes. In fact, I own a pair of Rapha bibshorts, and I like them very much. And I now have a pair of Kitsbow MTB shorts. And in the photos in this post, I am actually wearing my Rapha bibs under my Kitsbow shorts, which means I am at that point wearing upwards of $600 worth of clothes on my butt.
2. I don’t even have a problem with Assos clothing. I have no opinion on it, since I’ve never worn it.
3. I do have a problem with Assos marketing as manifested through their advertising. It’s stupid and often exploitative.
- FC
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 10.16.2013 | 8:51 am
Kitsbow: Impeccable mountain bike wear for obsessives
If the shoe fits…..
- See more at: http://kitsbow.com/#sthash.QQROqj5m.dpuf
Comment by Jeff Bike | 10.16.2013 | 8:55 am
I will take you at your word….I can’t believe The Fat Cyclist could ever use sarcasm….We are all expecting race multi part reports all winter! sic.
Comment by MikeL | 10.16.2013 | 9:02 am
It is a good thing The Hammer is a nurse. You might need medical assistance in getting that tongue implanted in your cheek removed
Comment by JRay | 10.16.2013 | 9:05 am
Salad gulp Greens??? Ummmm?…. Pie!!! Hello!?!?!?!?
Comment by JRay | 10.16.2013 | 9:14 am
Oh and… HolycowthesceneryAWESOMEigottagettoUtah!
Comment by UpTheGrade SR, CA | 10.16.2013 | 9:20 am
Its amazing the day-dreams you can have while eating pie – you can imagine yourself doing all sort of thngs, like racing the cyclocross season and eating crisp salad for dinner, which you’ll get to right after this last little bite of pie….
Comment by Doug (Way upstate NY) | 10.16.2013 | 9:24 am
I personally loved all the pictures of your cyclocross bike you included in today’s post.
Comment by the Putti | 10.16.2013 | 9:43 am
Sorry Fatty, you are wrong on this one topic. Cyclocross is fun.
I’m sure it is. Lots and lots of people tell me it is, and that I should try it. But — and this is the subtext of my whole post, now made explicit and thus destroying any possibility of the joke being funny anymore — I’m tired of training and racing and am ready to just enjoy the mellowness of off-season riding. – FC
Comment by Wife#.667 | 10.16.2013 | 10:08 am
@Doug… *snort* I was going through the pictures thinking to myself, where’s the CX bike?
As a former clydesdale rider (well, as a woman probably still in that class), my Hakkalugi Disc CX was the best choice ever. I was able to get a pretty darn light carbon frame, the bike itself is very agile /nimble, but it’s still super rugged and my weight was never an issue.
But we all know I don’t race. (Understatement of the year!) It was just about a super comfortable bike that I could lots of road miles on and still go on the trails now and then… and be a big rider. Oh and I have never flatted while riding (yet). There’s a jinx waiting to happen.
The fact that the color palette of a bike called “hock-a-loogie” is “gangrene/black lung” was icing on the cake. :-)
Comment by Christina | 10.16.2013 | 10:19 am
Hey, I have that same jersey! I wore it this morning.
Soft jersey
Warm jersey
Little ball of superawesomelycra
Yup, the new FC kit is awesome. Glad you like it! – FC
Comment by Kukui | 10.16.2013 | 10:26 am
Oh, wow! Utah is sooo pretty in autumn! I wish I could make the pictures bigger.
Good luck with the CX, Fatty!
Yeah, I was frustrated with that when I was posting today. 495px wide doesn’t really do the photos justice. I need to move the click-to-enlarge photo capability to the top of my blog priority list. – FC
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 10.16.2013 | 10:47 am
Sorry, Elden. Sometimes the ‘teasing’ just doesn’t come out right at all.
W#.667 is not able to ‘preview’ all my comments to keep me in check. More than once she has said “…you didn’t really say that did you?”
I will wholeheartedly agree with the exploitive nature of Assos Advertising. And admit my own appreciation for fine baubles…Titanium, Carbon, Rapha, Kitsbow, XTR, XX, Red, and ANYTHING TEAM FATTY!
Please accept my apology, and please post your KSL segment.(I could not find a live feed)
Comment by ScottR | 10.16.2013 | 10:52 am
Glad to see I’m not alone in getting at least half way through the post before finally getting it :-)
Comment by walter | 10.16.2013 | 11:06 am
Hmm, methinks there is a slight difference in your belly between the first two shots. Sucking it in a bit on that second shot? :)
Got to love fall riding! What scenery!
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 10.16.2013 | 11:10 am
Since it is getting colder with winter coming I thought I’d look up something Fatty for the fall. Tell us Elden, is it still the greatest cake in the world?
http://www.fatcyclist.com/2005/09/15/the-best-cake-in-the-world-2/
Comment by andy@wdw | 10.16.2013 | 11:38 am
LOL! Fatty, you had me going right up until the salad greens. And then I felt like an idiot. Well played, sir. Well played. :-)
Comment by JL | 10.16.2013 | 11:46 am
Hey, was that some fast-dismount practice I came across on Rodeo a couple of days ago?
Comment by Fat Cathy | 10.16.2013 | 12:06 pm
hmmm, I think I want to move to Utah. Anybody need a C# developer out there?
Comment by Ed | 10.16.2013 | 12:07 pm
Fatty,
I was looking at the pics and thought to myself they look like they were taken on some of trails you and the Hammer took me on just over a year ago. They bring back memories of an awesome ride! I sure do wish we had a change of seasons down here in TX like you all do in UT.
Take care!
-Ed
Comment by Noel | 10.16.2013 | 12:17 pm
I’m amazed at how thoroughly you managed to imbue this post with the stench of sarcasm. Seriously. A coworker walked into my office whilst I perused this post and the first words out of his mouth upon entering were “Dude. It positively *reeks* of sarcasm in here.” :-)
Great post and beautiful scenery!
Comment by MattC | 10.16.2013 | 1:00 pm
However….IF you were to race the CX season, thus carrying your current level of fitness over to next year, just THINK of the possibilities! Starting off next year’s racing season where you are right now? INSANE! (which is probably what you’d be after an entire year+ of racing). Just a thought…saving your hard-won fitness…if not for you, then for us, your adoring fans waiting with baited breath to read about your next crushing of all comers?? C’mon Fatty…you (and Hammer) can DO IT!
Comment by MattC | 10.16.2013 | 1:06 pm
IN FACT, I think you should call Levi up RIGHT NOW and challenge him and Odessa to a husband and wife relay race (before you get too far into your wallowing winter of recreational cycling)! I’m SURE Hammer would be ready to LEAP on that bandwagon and put in another good hard long effort.
OR… maybe you can talk Levi and Odessa into going to the 25hrs of Frog Hollow and racing SS, that would be good too. Just my thoughts…you know I’ve got your back!
Comment by Bryan (not that one) | 10.16.2013 | 1:10 pm
Loved the photo credit lines. :-)
Comment by Kukui | 10.16.2013 | 1:23 pm
What kind of camera do you use while cycling? Does it work with full-fingered gloves?
Not that the right camera will bring me a picturesque autumn afternoon in Utah, but there has to be a better way to chronicle my cycling adventures than with my iPhone.
The iPhone sits there and laughs at me when I poke at it with full-fingered gloves… and it’s had kind of a snide sense of humor since I dropped it last year and shattered the screen…
I use an iPhone. And I wear these full-fingered gloves. – FC
Comment by AKChick | 10.16.2013 | 1:44 pm
My Dear Fatty: You and The Hammer need to bring out the fat tire bikes. :) Although as the proud owner of a cross bike (who uses it like a road bike), I don’t race cyclocross either despite hearing how fun it is because our mud tends to be on the greasy side and I can see myself falling and breaking something. We are way above normal in temps this fall so we are actually getting one – it’s 60 degrees today (unheard of and I think we just set a new high temp record for this day). In any case, cyclocross bikes are fun to ride recrationally. Mine climbs like a champ and it just makes me smile whenever I ride it. They are not fun for prolonged off-road riding due to no shocks and skinny tires (compared to a mtb). You should give the cross a chance for some recreational riding where you might have some off-road but mostly road. It’s really a cushy ride. :)
Side note: extremely jealous of Wife .667 Hakkalugi with disc brakes though I’m super partial to Giant since they are (as of now) the only company making a women’s specific cross. The disc brake version of my current bike is over about $4K – ouch!
Comment by Jeff | 10.16.2013 | 2:24 pm
You live in cycling heaven.
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 10.16.2013 | 2:44 pm
@MattC Love your idea. Though it needs to be a Tandem Race Challenge, since that brings into the mix that potentially unstable element……..
communication.
Comment by wharton_crew | 10.16.2013 | 3:29 pm
Nope, however I have loaned it to someone who is actually putting it to good use. A nice bike shouldn’t just gather dust. – FC
Wait…WAIT!! You LOAN out your bikes??? Please loan me your FattyFly mtb! I am a roadie that just moved to Texas and have discovered that it just ain’t safe to be a cyclist on Texas roads. But there is a good MTB trail not far from me – I want to test out these new and inviting waters.
Anyone want to trade an equivalent MTB for a 58cm Trek Madone 5.5 with all Dura-Ace components?
You’re not even in the same ballpark to ride the FattyFly, size-wise. Sorry! – FC
Comment by chris | 10.16.2013 | 4:11 pm
from the Sigma High Performance blog. For when you are unable to eat anything. Maybe this is why you were loosing it last week and maybe this can help coming up. See the whole article for better advice. Ran across this a while back.
So, what sources of glucose-based products are most advantageous? There are several with purported benefits, like electrolytes, B-vitamins, and stimulants all designed to give you an advantage over their competitors. However, according to basic structure and consistency, they are all second to one source that is literally the most perfect form of glucose supplementation currently available to endurance athletes. Honey. Honey is a form of CHO storage that is not only composed of glucose, but also of fructose (fruit sugar and the sweetest naturally occurring CHO in existence). Not only can your body use glucose to create energy, but it can also use fructose via a secondary transport enzyme in the small intestine. In strictly glucose containing supplements, glucose absorption in the small intestine can only occur at the rate of 1g glucose/min. With the additional influx of fructose at the rate of 0.25-0.5g/min, your total carbohydrate intake can be increased by nearly 50% when using fructose and glucose-containing supplements such as honey.
Comment by Carl | 10.16.2013 | 5:43 pm
Beautiful photos Fatty! Seems weird to see snow already.
Yeah, and as you can see, we weren’t exactly dressed for it. – FC
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 10.16.2013 | 8:50 pm
@ Carl
Photoshop
Comment by the Putti | 10.17.2013 | 5:30 am
My bad. I thought you were making fun of cx, not your will (or lack there of) to train. Sorry to “ruin” your post. :)
Comment by Jacob | 10.17.2013 | 6:56 am
I realized the last couple of years that where I live is really weird. Either that or I’m really weird and for the sake of my ego I’m going with where I live.
Because of the extreme heat and extremer humidity in Georgia this close to Florida, I actually have the same experience in summer that most American cyclists and runners have in winter. I usually gain 10 or 15 pounds, struggle to find motivation to train, and just generally suck at getting ready for races.
Then, October hits, and we finally start seeing highs only in the low 80s and suddenly I’m inspired. I literally lost 10 pounds in the last two weeks entirely due to just the fact that I have no trouble being motivated to go out and do what I’m supposed to be doing. There are days in January and February when it’s slightly chilly and being on the bike is less appealing, but those days make running feel like sitting still. We don’t have days where it’s below freezing in daylight. We usually don’t have days below 60 in daylight.
Comment by eclecticdeb | 10.17.2013 | 11:26 am
Those pictures make me long for being back East. There’s nothing like the carpet of color on a rolling hillside, or the unique smell of the leaves. Gorgeous!
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 10.17.2013 | 12:36 pm
QUICK !!!!!
Stanley Tucci is doing his Elden impersonation on KSL from Wednesday.
http://www.ksl.com/?sid=27268522&nid=1194