Jim Hewett's Blog – November 2011 Archive (5)

Second week in a row racing at Golden Gate Park.  This one was a little more serious and less sloppy than last weeks SSCXWC race.  The weather was cool and sunny for our afternoon start and the Elite men's field was loaded with talent.  I recognized the usual podium finishers, as well as Justin Robinson, Ned Overend, and a Jelly Belly pro I had seen at a DFL race.  As there were only 60 feet of climbing per lap, I knew this would be a fast race.  I'm reaching the end of a fitness peak and…

I showed up on Sunday for the 2011 Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships in Golden Gate park ready for business!  Dressed for success, from my double vented tropical wool suit, to my Zegna shirt and Faconnable tie.  I left the brief case in the car, though.

The rain had been falling all night, and the…

As luck would have it, the San Francisco installment of the SSCXWC happened to be while I was racing cyclocross.  I love to ride single speeds, so I had to overcome my distaste for "ironic racing" and check it out.

Saturday was the qualification process, as they had hundreds of people that wanted to race and only 150 spots for the main event.  I was encouraged that there was a qualification process, as that did suggest a level…

Like last week, rain the day before the race cleared to create pretty good conditions on race day.  The course at Sierra Point was a little soft, but the weather was ideal for a race under the lights.  The men's A race was going off at 8:00, so I took a nap in the middle of the day then made my way down for the festivities.

A quick reconnoiter of the course revealed lots of corners.  They do the best they can with this venue, which is a large flat field of landfill with a small hill…

Today was the first cyclocross race ever at Stafford Lake Park in Marin.  There were other races in the area, but many racers from San Francisco, Santa Rosa and Marin made it out to show their support for more cyclocross racing in the North Bay.

I volunteered for course setup Saturday, which gave me a chance to check things out before the race.  The course shaped up pretty well and I rode a few laps before the rain came Saturday afternoon.  The terrain was bumpy in places, and thick…