Category B 35+:

This race marked my return to outdoor riding as well as my first race since March of 2020 (21 months)! I was super excited to be out with the team and I love the Stafford Lake bike park. Iu2019ve raced CX here in the past and the courses are always fun. This course was no exception. A brief paved start straight, led into a fire road climb, that then descended a portion of a flowy MTB trail. We then cut into the grass, through some fields, across a wood bridge and onto the run up. The run up, as in years past, was a brutal 50u201370-yard climb of about 15%. Only the lower section could be ridden, so once you lose your momentum, it is time to get off and run! Luckily, I installed some 1u201d sheet metal screws in my MTB shoes, so I was able to actually run up the muddy open section, and not have to fight or wait for an opening on the stairs! After this run up, we traversed some off camber side hills and then back down onto the fire road. This year, the creek crossing was fairly deep and provided some great action shots!

After the creek crossing there were some bumpy grass fields which led into the barriers, and finally the finishing area.u00a0 During the morning, the mist was heavy, and the grass was very wet. This made the course super slick in a few areas, and I actually crashed like 4 or 5 times during the warm-up, and 3 times in the first race of the, 35+ Bu2019s. The 35+ race only had around 17 riders, and I started in the back because I wasnu2019t sure how my fitness or handling skills would react after 2 yearsu2026but racing a bike is like riding a bike; you never forget! The start was fast, but not un-manageable and I was able to pick my way through the group and get comfortable in the top 5. As mentioned previously, I did crash a few times on the first couple of laps, but I was able to calm down, get into a rhythm and start picking people off. Laps 2 and 3 were pretty straight forward. I felt good, had a few carrots to chase and could tell where I was gaining on people. At the end of lap 3, myself and another rider caught someone in front of us. On the final lap, we put in an effort on the climb to drop the guy we caught, which worked perfectly. I sat in and let a guy from Team Roaring mouse led to the end of the climb and initiate the descent. I put some pressure on him, heading down hill, and he crashed in the tight right-hand corner that was grassy and wet. I managed to avoid going down, and then with a spike of adrenaline and excitement that he fell, I went ahead and attacked with all I had. Mostly, I wanted him to give up mentally, as I was racing away! It worked and he didnu2019t chase. I finished the lap trying to be smooth and watch to ensure he didnu2019t sneak back up to me. I wasnu2019t sure where I finished, but I was very happy to learn I ended up in 3^rd!

Open B Race:

Since this was my first day back to racing, I got a bit ambitious and signed up for the Open B race as well. This class had 37 riders, as well as one of our U23 riders Tavis Tucker. Travis was well rested coming into this event, and having raced here before, also enjoyed the course. For this category a u201cpro Lineu201d was added which was an additional run-upu2026. In addition to this added run-up, the duration was a bit longer, which meant 5 laps instead of 4! Feeling a bit tired, but not too bad, this race went off a bit faster, but I was able to hold on to mid pack and just focus on not coming in last! At one point early in the race, I had caught up to Travis, and inadvertently clipped his rear wheel, when we each took a faster line passed a slower rider. Luckily, the course had dried out significantly, towards the afternoon and wasnu2019t as slippery.u00a0 I settled in nicely and didnu2019t worry too much about who was passing me, except one guy with a rear rack, fenders, and a helmet mounted mirroru2026. I tried to stay ahead of him. As the laps went by, I was really starting to feel my energy get zapped. My legs felt fine, but it was all the other non-Zwift muscles that were hurting, such as my neck, triceps, and lower back. The roughness of the course and running up those hills is not something Zwift could simulate! At the end, I was totally spent, but managed 17^th, which was better than I expected. Travis worked his way up to 7^th, which was his 3^rd top 10 finish in cyclocross this season! Great to see so many Red Peloton team mates out there racing and cheering.

Cole Rasmussen