2010 Blogs
Paul McCarthy is the mastermind behind CrossPropz: those wicked nifty white PVC breakaway barriers you will see populating ‘cross friendly parks near you. Pull them out of their carrier bag and they basically set themselves up. Paul contacted me a couple few weeks ago to see if I would be keen on putting on a ‘cross clinic for his team, Blue Sky Velo. I was flattered he asked me and was stoked to meet the faces behind the glasses of those fancy blue, black and maroon kits.
I left a few extra minutes early on my ride out to Roger Grove Park in Longmont so I could stop at the Farmer’s Market for some coffee and a pre-clinic treat. 30 chamois-clad ‘crossers appeared in the 100 degree heat, which made us hungry for cold, rain, mud and even some snow!?
I was happy to meet a few newbies to the sport who were so jazzed about this asinine sport known as psychocross. I was also happy to observe their positive outlook and continual smiles…the antithesis to my first time on a ‘cross bike ending in tears. Some showed up with clean and shiny bikes donned with bottle cages from road riding. Some showed up with mud-laden bikes from their last race – the slip n’ slides of States and Nationals. But everyone showed up full of energy, excited to learn, and with pockets full of questions.
After beginning the session with a warm-up spin around the park we were lucky to have two married doctors, Jen and Andy Harmon provide us with an important cycling-specific stretching routine. All willy-nilly we were ready to jump on and off our bikes! The following few hours included drills, demonstrations, questions, dabbling, trial & error and lotsa laughs. The ringleader, Paul ordered us some delicious lunch that we ate in respite of the sun and heat.
It was a great day that has me licking my chops for the real season to begin. If the prior description is appetizing to you, please join me for my next clinic August 28th in Boston, MA with Team Luna Chix or September 11th with Blue Sky Velo in Longmont, CO!