It's a Beauty, Eh?

Since Crusty has just posted pictures of the Norcross, I get to share the first impressions actually racing it.

Well, racing it is a bit of an overstatement from the wobbly old man, but damn. Seriously. Damn.

I read my training program correctly this week and showed up at the miss and out at Estabrook along with Mike. Roscoe is apparently studying for his boards or some such fool thing. Not sure that matters more than a cross race, even a practice one.

The Norcross is a thing of beauty. It's light, nimble, handles superbly, even by me! It's stiff as hell so when I curled into a corner, the bike was incredibly stable. I can't do much standing up and thrashing the gears, but it was very responsive when I did. It's light for the shouldering, although Crusty was right in that our long arms have a bit of a challenge getting through the triangle. Not a big deal at all, though.

As for the wobbly-legged, one-shouldered old man, though, the race went decently. I started very tentatively, powering as best I could along the flats and railing the corners more and more as the race went on.

I wasn't the first pulled, as I expected. I wasn't lapped. And I crashed once, trying to run over a barrier up the short steep little hill as I shouldered the bike. The left leg just wasn't strong enough to jump up by itself! Boom! Got the first boo-boo of the season on my leg. Shoulder hurt a bit from falling, but I got up and was pissed. So I rode harder, passed the guy in front, and rode harder through the corners.

All in all a successful evening. The bike is awesome, incredible. The legs and body are okay, the mind a little weak! (No comments necessary, gentlemen!) Next week, I'll push the start and the aggression a bit more to see what I can do.

I'm grateful Jackson Park is a relatively flat grass crit. Hill run-ups are going to be a challenge for a bit. I just hope they're better by Jingle Cross!