Little Miss Runner Pants: KCCX

yup. i did. i made it out to the event. and i am so. glad. i. did.

after listening to everyone go on and on about the race at the KCM christmas party... and noticing that the majority of conversation participants were attractive-figures-of-the-male-persuasion... i figured what the hell. i should go!

just after noon 0% and i made our way out, arriving in the middle of the elite women's race, and.. my first impression of the sport as a whole can most accurately be described in two words:

HOLY SHIT!

0%'s husband, as well as some other friends from the club, do cyclocross all the time. i've heard all the stories about mud and trees and obstacles and biking, but...
i dunno. i guess never really put it together in my head quite right because i was NOT expecting to see what i saw.

because what i saw was just straight up nuts.

first of all, the races have been going since thursday. its been snowy/icy/focking freezing cold all week and.. to your typical cyclocross-er.... thats a GOOD thing. the course was a mess. it was mud and slush in some places, rock hard frozen dirt in others. the course wound up and down and turny zig zag, all over the friggin place, and then towards the back...

there were stairs.

............. STAIRS!

as in.. doo-doo-doo, riding my bike. oh hey whats up, stairs... get off my bike, shoulder it, run up these mondo stairs... doo-doo.. get back on my bike, riiiiide down the hill, take a SHARP turn right, oh look... more stairs

i mean...

what the hell?!?

they're insane. covered in mud, falling, crashing into each other. running down hills with bikes on their shoulders, practically taking out spectators at every turn..

it was awesome!

and? not only that?!

these dudes are HOT! (i'm just sayin...)

all in all, it was some serious fun. and, for those of you that don't know... here's how it works (cuz i learned. so now i shall share...):

the start is like the start of a your typical race. all the cyclists are jammed together, someone shoots off a gun, and BAM! begin.

the cyclists take off at sprint speed. i dunno if ALL races are this way, but in this case.. they start on pavement. they go down a little and then veer off into this random field. the course itself is a few bikes wide, so the beginning is fun to watch as they're all elbow to elbow knocking into each other.

so. they're on the course. the course is super windy with lots of up/down/sharp turn/back up/turn/etc... and there are various obstacles. because of weather conditions this particular race didn't have little barricades but often times they do. anyway.. they go around and around and around.. as many laps as they can for like 45 minutes.

and whoever's fastest wins.

HOW.EV.AH... if you get lapped... you're out. *and*... if you have some sort of mechanical dysfunction, you have to run your bike along the course all the way back to the pit to get a new one...

not like in, say, the tour, where they'll hand you a bike right on the course.

so.. its crazy. some peeps are biking, some are walking, some are biffing it.. HARD...

its pretty sweet.

and then whoever gets to the finishline first after your 45 minutes are up...

well. you win!