Chocolate, Waffles and ’Cross: Riding the indoor circuit

By Brandon Dwight

I hate riding the indoor trainer. Despise it.

Years ago, when I was pretending to be a professional mountain bike racer and had to do my winter base training, I spent hours on that god forsaken device. I can recall one snowy Sunday many years ago; I watched back-to-back NFL games in their entirety while spinning away. I think I even watched two full-length movies in a row on several occasions. Man, it makes my butt sore just thinking about those days.

When I gave up racing mountain bikes I vowed to never ride a trainer again. I didn’t quite stick to that sacred oath, but I have tried my best. Another declaration I made back then was to not ride unless it was sunny, over 50 degrees with no wind.

Now, I know what you are thinking, “What a wuss! How can this guy be a cyclocross racer?!” But hey, why be miserable on the bike when you don’t have to be, right?

For me, one of the nice things about cyclocross season is it follows the warm months of spring and summer, so I don’t really have to start riding until the snow stops falling and temperatures rise. Now, instead of spending mind numbing hours on the trainer, I use the winter time to backcountry ski, hike and run, which I find much more enjoyable when it’s cold outside. Actually, I don’t find running enjoyable in any temperature, but I’ll leave that one alone.

All of my anti-cold weather riding rules get thrown out the window when cyclocross race season is in full gear. I don’t know what it is, but my mentality completely changes and I absolutely love riding and racing in the cold and nasty weather during cross season. The more mud the better. Ice and snow? Bring it on.

A confession

Now, as I write this let the truth be told, I just got off the stationary trainer. C’mon, it was -2 degrees out this morning and with U.S. Cyclocross Nationals just a few days away I couldn’t slack off. Nor, did I want to get frostbite on my little piggies. Luckily I had a new DVD to pass the time. Have you seen “Joe Kid On A Sting Ray” yet?

Now, I am not getting paid to write this, but it is a great documentary on the history of BMX. This is how it all started for me. As a youngster I used to live in New Jersey and it seemed as though every day I would grab my BMX rig, get hopped up on a 7-Eleven Slurpee and spend hours at our local track.

A couple years later I moved to Massachusetts and got in to the freestyle thing. I had a super rad GT Pro Performer bike, a backyard quarter pipe and spent hours trying to perfect my flatland trickery. I even created a local newsletter with a buddy of mine and we got profiled in Freesytlin’ Magazine! It was quite bush league, but we were kids and thought were way cool.

It’s amazing to think about BMX, which started in the mid 1960’s by kids riding modified Schwinns on vacant dirt lots, is now and Olympic event. As I watched Joe Kid On A Sting Ray take me from the sport’s humble beginnings through the freestyle era and to where it is today, I couldn’t help but realize how far cyclocross in the United States has come. And, how far it has yet to go.

One of my good friends and fellow cross racers, Pete Webber, was recently digging through his old cycling archives and came across a newspaper article from 1997 which documents the first UCI cyclocross race in the United States and it was right here in Colorado.

Cross Vegas and Boulder Cup promoter Chris Grealish put it on and I was in it! I had no idea. I think I may have even raced it on a mountain bike. Anyway, the point of this story is, well, I don’t know what the point is other than BMX is way cool and so is cyclocross and I am just happy to be part of it’s past, present and hopefully its future.

Speaking of the future, I’m off to Bend, Oregon this weekend for the 2009 U.S. Cyclocross Championships. I’m hoping for a good race in the Masters 35-39 category on Saturday and to not get too embarrassed in the Men’s Elite Race on Sunday. Looks like they are calling for snow and rain with temperatures right around freezing. Sounds like heaven. And, no I am not bringing my trainer.

Best of luck to everyone who is racing this weekend!

Thanks for reading,
Brandon

FILED UNDER: Cyclocross / News / Rider Diaries