cx race #2 - zoetermeer

breakfast part 1

breakfast part 2

i already knew that cyclocross was a stupid sport, but i discovered this week its also an expensive sport... i expected to go through plenty of brake pads and at least the current rims im using, and well, the drivetrain im using is a bit worn already, so riding in the mud is a good excuse to wear it out. but rear derailleurs? i didnt plan to go through too many of them.

about halfway

i guess neither did all the other guys and girls i saw pushing their bikes back to the start during the course of the days racing. the mud on the zoetermeer course was pretty special. it really stuck to everything. it was wet on while it was on the ground and then it dried and accumulated when it touched a bike.

bye bye 105 derailleur

so broken derailleurs were the order of the day, and i got a nice one on the second last lap... at that point i was in 5th place of 26 starters battling it out with the 6th place rider and occasionally spotting the guy in 4th ahead of us. last week, in gouda, i finished 8th out of 15, and the guys who finished 6th and 7th there, ended up in 8th and 9th at this race. so yeah, i was feeling pretty good and happy with my race, and im over it now, but at the time i was pretty bummed to have to pull out. the thought did cross my mind to pick my bike up and run the rest of the race, which i started doing even though i was probably carrying more mud than bike, until i had been passed by 4 or 5 guys and i couldnt be bothered any more.

the canadian avenger spotted

anyway, next week there is a 160km road race/tour starting here in scheveningen, so getting muddy (in a race) again will have to wait until honselersdijk on the 23rd. i have a stand-in old skool shimano 600 rear derailleur (thanks willem-jan!) but i am seriously considering doing the next mud bath singlespeed. any ideas on a good ratio?