Cincinnati UCI Cyclocross Weekend

Here is a quick write up on Cinci last weekend, then go ahead and read my Pan-Ams post!

After racing in Montana and Colorado the past weekends it was nice to be able to drive to a race the morning of, and sleep in our own beds. Emma and I kitted up and hopped on course, immediately determining it to be a Challenge Limus day. The soaked golf course made for an incredibly slick course full of tricky off cambers, fun sections in the woods, and plenty of ruts.

Photo: Kent Baumgardt

I had a third-row start and was lucky to avoid some of the carnage in the first few corners. I managed to sneak around one major crash and cut in on the inside of the next corner gaining back a few spots. On that first lap, I motored along passing riders who were going down left and right. Then I went down… and then I went down again… and again. Every time I would make a pass I would go down shortly after and lose the spots I’d just gained. In retrospect, I just got a little too excited in the first few laps and kept throwing down watts where I needed to focus on finesse and driving the bike. 

Photo: Jack Zakrajsek

I was hovering around 15th but in the last few laps I just completely lost my mojo and slipped back to finish 19th. Definitely not the result I was hoping for in a big C1 event but I learned a lot!

On Sunday the conditions and the course were completely different. It was now a power course with fewer off-cambers and perfect for some Challenge Chicanes.

As it boiled down to race time the storm that had been on the horizon started to blow in. At the start, we sprinted up the hill against 40mph gusting crosswinds. From the fourth row, I started to move squeaking around a few crashes.

Photo: Kent Baumgardt

After things got sorted I settled into a group just outside the top 15. I worked on moving up but in the last third of the race, I got dropped... right before my group caught the group fighting for the top ten. Luckily a group two riders caught up to me and I hopped on to finish off the last few laps for 19th.

Overall it was a pretty mediocre and disappointing weekend with nothing to really write home about. However, it was definitely not a complete wash as I got some great workouts and still learned a lot! All the travel and racing lately has certainly been taking a toll on me mentally and physically, but that's my job. All I can really say about that is time to get back to work and make things happen!

Thank you to my team, Linear Sport RT and our sponsors: Trek, Bontrager, Wheel & Sprocket, Styled Aesthetic, Kettle Moraine Preservation and Restoration, and David Hobbs Honda. Thank you as well to Trek Race Shop, Challenge Tires, Englewood Grass Farm, Mike's Mix, and Sram. Thank you all for reading and be sure to follow along on my social media @cswartzz. Be sure to check out my report on Pan-Ams!