When I wasn't handing off bikes, I was also taking pics.



Here's the start of the 50+ race.  The leaders are in the foreground.  White helmet on the right won.I didn't see them climb the hill after this, but the 55+ leaders were walking on their last lap.  

I was a back marker. Not the last one, but close. I still had pretty good power but my top end was fried.
Those ruts were so much fun to aim at and get flung out of. And figuring out the muddy sections.. loved that. This was special and so much more fun than I anticipated.
Thanks, @PatrickGrehan for convincing me to race after I'd decided against it.

The best in the country!
https://youtu.be/-Ntp--WC2GM

@eloy I look at this and think back to your comment after the last time the nationals were in Hartford.  That it might not be a good look to present the non-cycling world. Having the best in the country look like they can barely survive the course might not impress non-cyclists.

Yeas, I thought that too, specially as cyclocross is on a down swing... can't imagine that many people seeing this and thinking oh I wanna try that out, or sponsors feeling well represented.

But then again, people sign up for thought mudders events all the time.

There is something about embracing the absurdity of it all, and having a sense of humor, that can be super inclusive and attractive.

for contrast (last lap elite men):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOhK4P3aMBk

That looked much better.

Ellen Noble with Curtis — this is worth a listen
https://open.spotify.com/episode/45tzrgqy35riX5MvQCH4di?si=OsEzPl4qRoCvJjKOhB9FMQ

This is probably my favorite all time on board cyclocross video. Watch it!

https://youtu.be/IYAANQ7ZS7I

Fun,
He's kind of implying "canti brake guy" shouldn't be ahead of him because he doesn't look pro enough

When we were at nationals, as I was waiting in a long line to get my bike washed, I complained to Eloy and James about a lack of equity.  I had to wait over 30 minutes to clean my bike, which seemed unfair as pro teams seemed to have access to the same water source.  

As I got to thinking about it, this imbalance was among the more minor issues in terms of how racers were treated at the nationals.  If you or your team ponied up more money, you could get better access to the course and didn't have to schlep all your gear up and over a highway.  The promoters could have done a much better job for the average racer, the one who shows up on his own.   I think the registration numbers might reflect that potential attendees felt this way as well.


https://jralong.com/2022/12/16/equity-in-cyclocross-hartford-edition/